The Young Diplomat
by BadAtNamesAndFaces
Summary: Two decades after the great freeze, a new ambassador has arrived from Corona, along with his young private secretary. While the young man's family was originally from Arendelle, he knows little of his origins. They must wait to start any major business until the queen has emerged from confinement.
1. In Arendelle Harbor

[_Author's Note: This is the first chapter of a planned longer work. If you see any grammar or spelling errors, do please let me know, and I'll go fix them as quickly as possible, as that's the one thing I like to think I'm good at. If there are any glaring factual errors, let me know, and I'll decide if I want that to be intentional or not. Some warnings may be added later._]

-Begin Chapter-

His Excellency Franz Meyer, Ambassador from Corona, sat in his cabin. The ship was at anchor, awaiting permission to dock in the harbor. He knew he had time on his hands, as it was still early morning, though as far north as they were this close to midsummer, sunrise had been hours before. As many times as he was posted to northern countries, he never could get used to the hours of daylight in the summer and darkness in the winter.

Under normal circumstances with so many hours to wait, he would have called his private secretary to his cabin to take care of business, but as it happened, his cabin was facing away from the town, and as lovely as the fjord was, having the town in view would help with his instructions to the budding young diplomat in his employ.

It was a beautiful July day. The Ambassador looked at his diary, and realized the significance of the date here. It was, in fact, twenty-one years to the day. He and his colleagues didn't talk about that when they were in Arendelle. It was something of an agreed upon diplomatic taboo. No one was quite sure who exactly had agreed upon it, but none dared bring the topic up either in Arendelle or with any diplomats from Arendelle. Meyer himself had been in Corona at the time, about to embark for the Southern Isles. That trip had been delayed as his kingdom tried to decide if they needed to have a position on matters.

On this assignment and the recent voyage, Meyer had hoped his new secretary might have some more information for him about all that, as his mother had actually moved to Corona from Arendelle shortly before his birth, but on their voyage here, he had only learned that the poor Mrs. Nilsen avoided talking about the past, other than to tell stories of her late husband, the fishing boat captain. And his death had come close enough to those events that his widow was given a pension, sent all the way to Corona each year.

This struck the Ambassador as curious, though he said nothing to the young man, who seemed quite genuine in his love and trust in his mother. The man's talents were evident, though he felt somewhat guilty at how much of the unbridled naive enthusiasm would have to be broken in his chosen profession.

Lars Nilsen had only finished his training in Corona, and he had only made a few visits to neighboring islands before this. He looked even younger than his twenty years, in spite of being on the taller side of average, and trying to grow a small mustache. Meyer wondered if this attempt to look older might be backfiring, though the clean shaven red-haired boy he was at the beginning of the sea voyage looked easily five years younger.

The Ambassador heard a tentative knock at his cabin door, and stood up to walk over and open it himself, since he had no wish of staying in his cabin for much longer. He hoped the view of the town might help his employee remember some more information, but at least he could give him some ideas for places to ask if anyone had information on his family. Mr. Meyer opened his cabin door.

"Your Excellency!" gasped the young man standing outside as the door opened, "I didn't wish to disturb you."

"Mr. Nilsen, as I've told you before, you may simply call me Mr. Meyer when we are in private," said the Ambassador, "and do not worry about disturbing me, I was on my way up to the top deck for some fresh air. You may join me."

"Thank you, Your... I mean, Mr. Meyer, sir," he replied, and they walked up the narrow stairs to the top deck.

"Have you been up here to look out since we arrived?" asked Mr. Meyer.

"No, sir, I... just woke up," admitted Mr. Nilsen, "this is the first time I've seen the place."

"Do you have any family still living here?" probed the Ambassador.

"I don't know, sir," admitted the young man, "I don't think so. My mother told me that her parents had moved here from... Bergen? Goodness, you'd think I remember, but she really didn't like to talk about that. Her parents died before she got married, though, and I don't think my father had much family, either, but he died before I was born."

"I recall," Mr. Meyer reminded him, "so, you will have no one to visit here, I suppose. That will make it easier to focus on your work, I imagine. Once there is actual work, naturally. The Queen, of course, doesn't take visitors during her confinement, so we may have some state dinners, which still may be useful for meeting their ministers, and perhaps if you're lucky, some of the royal family, at least, those who stay long enough for a conversation, though I suppose I shouldn't judge, as I was lower ranked the last time I was here," he glanced at his secretary, "in the meantime, perhaps you can ask around town after people who might remember your mother and father. A smaller country like this, people are bound to know everyone else."

"I suppose so, Mr. Meyer," the young man replied, "I hadn't really thought about that, though I was thinking about taking some rides around the countryside. It does look lovely."

"You could certainly do both, you know," Mr. Meyer paused to think if there was anything else that would be worth discussing now, and remembered the mail package that had already been brought aboard. "But you will be happy to hear that a package of letters was delivered to our ship this morning, and I believe there are no fewer than three for you. You're quite a popular young man."

Mr. Nilsen blushed a bit, but had to admit that he had gotten quite a few letters since leaving Corona, though he didn't think letters from his mother counted as making him popular, and he felt sorry for anyone whose brother wouldn't keep in touch while away at sea.

"You're free to read these at your leisure, if you like," Mr. Meyer said as he handed the bundle of three letters to his secretary, "I don't foresee having any business to attend to for at least several hours, particularly being the day it is."

"Which day?" Mr. Nilsen began, "Oh! Yes, sir. And we aren't to speak of it."

"Yes, indeed. Though, of course, no one from Arendelle is around at the moment. I hope you don't mind speaking of it, as it was fairly close to your father's death."

"It was a few weeks later when that happened," the young man said, "though perhaps he had fallen ill due to the cold. Mother said his heart was a little weak, and he worked too hard."

"He was a fishing boat captain, you said?"

"Yes," he said, "and now my brother is a navy lieutenant for Corona. I suppose I was expected to go into the navy, as well... but I don't seem to take well to the sea."

"You've done well enough on this voyage, though thankfully we've had mostly very calm seas," the ambassador said, though it was not entirely true. Still, the young man recovered quickly enough any time the wind and waves calmed down.

"Yes, indeed, and for that I'm extremely grateful," he said, "I do hope my future father-in-law will forgive me for being prone to seasickness."

"Ah, yes, Captain Von der Decken, a good man. He has taken me as a guest many times, though I haven't met any of his daughters, but as I believe you have a letter from one of them, I shall leave you to read in private. Good day."

"Thank you, sir," said the young man.

He watched the ambassador walk toward the front of the ship for the best panoramic views of the town and the fjord. Houses were scattered up what seemed impossibly steep and high cliffs between trees and similarly precariously perched farm fields.

Front was Forward, which meant the back was Aft. Lars could keep those straight, but no matter how many times his brother had tried to explain, he could never keep Port and Starboard straight in his head. He had been very good at languages and rhetoric, and even a bit of mathematics, and had been deciding whether to apprentice to an accountant or a lawyer, when he had been asked to come train for diplomacy. He was hesitant, but his mother told him he shouldn't refuse. Thankfully, they lived in the city of Corona itself, so he was never very far from his mother during his training, and could see his brother every time he was home from sea.

He looked through the letters, and walked to a protected corner of the top deck. There wasn't much of a breeze this morning, but he didn't want to take his chances. He opened his mother's letter first. If there were any surprises, she would tell him the most gently. He admired her neat, regular handwriting. He did his best, but for a private secretary, had remarkably questionable handwriting. He had never been considered for a clerk, that much was certain. Margit Nilsen's letter to her son was wonderfully uneventful, with repeated statements of her admiration for his accomplishments, multiple tales of visits with his fiancee and her sisters and their mother, and a mention that his brother's ship might be visiting Arendelle while he was stationed there.

With this news, Lars decided to look at his brother's letter next. Lt. Karl Nilsen's writing was similar to their mother's, very even, though his was more masculine looking than the mother's. His latest voyage had been uneventful, as well, with the usual ports in the Baltic. He was happy to see that in a few months' time, they would, indeed, be visiting Arendelle. There was the usual teasing about his younger brother's inability to tolerate sea voyages, as well as being hopeless with directions. But after that, he hinted that on their voyage westward in the fall, his captain would like to bring a family guest along. Lars skimmed the rest of the letter, and feeling sure of no other news, he quickly opened his fiancee's letter.

_Corona, July 18th, 1864_

_My Dearest Lars,_

_You may have heard by now that my father's ship will be visiting Arendelle this fall. What you may not have heard is that in a few weeks' time, the ship will be stopping in Corona, and Father has told me that I will be allowed to travel with him. I will see you in only a few months' time! With that news, I will be keeping this letter short, so that I may send it out in time, and perhaps be the first to share this wonderful news with you! We shall see what the future brings._

_With much love,_

_Elizabeth von der Decken_

Lars carefully folded the letter and gave it a kiss. Before he left, they had talked about when they might have a wedding, but there was no way to settle a date with his being assigned to a post so soon. Perhaps, he could hope, she might not insist on a large wedding with her mother and sisters... He couldn't really hope for that, but he also didn't want to make her wait for years to get married.

He carried his letters back down to his cabin, and carefully placed the letters from his mother and brother in the drawer of what passed for a writing desk in his cramped space. It would be packed up with his trunk and moved to his quarters in the castle later that day. Elizabeth's letter he placed in the jetted pocket on the inside of his jacket. No matter what the day brought, if he could find a quiet spot, he could be reminded of what might come.


	2. In Arendelle Castle

It was early afternoon by the time Arendelle customs had cleared the ship to dock in town. Ambassador Meyer was pleased that the castle had sent porters to assist them in moving into their quarters. Not every kingdom was so considerate, no matter where in the capital they would be residing. Their respective monarchs were distant relations, but he knew that even close relations between monarchs never guaranteed real friendliness between nations.

As the ambassador's private secretary, Lars had the job of making sure everything was settled for getting ashore and moved off the ship. He had everything of his own packed to be taken to his quarters in the castle, and he checked with the representatives from the castle to see that everything was in order for the rest of their party.

The horses were the first thing taken off the ship, and Lars was quite keen on making sure they were well taken care of. They would have no official business for at least a few weeks, so Mr. Meyer gave his secretary leave to follow the horses to the castle stables after the basic preparations for going ashore had been made. The ambassador hoped his secretary would blend in enough to gain some knowledge, but the young man was still naive enough that he had to avoid telling him directly.

Lars had been born after his mother had left Arendelle, but he was never quite clear on the timing, not that it mattered. His brother Karl was about a year and a half older, and they had been very close growing up. As children, both boys as well as their mother were certain that both of them would go into the navy. By the time they were seven or eight it was clear that his brother was much more suited to a life at sea. Horsemanship was the only physical endeavor where the brothers were near equals.

Thankfully, Lars had been the better student all along. He didn't remember how he had caught the eye of the diplomatic school. Soon after his brother had left for sea, he was beginning to read history and politics and learning a half dozen ancient and modern languages. He found it enjoyable. He was sociable and had a near photographic memory for geography and history.

It was nice living so close to the palace. He made sure to have lunch or dinner with his mother as often as he could. He wanted to work his way up in his future career, but was glad he didn't need to leave his family right away like his brother. He soon became thankful that he would make such a pitiful sailor.

As he stepped off the ship, following the horses being led ashore, he felt oddly unsteady, given how seasick he had been many of the days on the voyage. His brother had told him about this when he had first gone to sea, that just as it took some time to acquire sea legs, getting used to land again could take time, as well.

As he was catching his balance, he looked around him. Up the nearby ramp, he could see the market square. He hurried to follow the groomsmen with the horses. They were very close to the bridge over to the castle, so would have much less time than he expected to look around the town first, at least if he wanted to check on the horses. He didn't always trust strange stables, and the town would be there to explore in the next few weeks while they waited for actual work to do.

The weather was warmer than he had expected, very similar to summers in Corona. He realized the weather charts he had read for different countries never said anything to the contrary. The late sunsets for the next month or two might take some getting used to, he knew. That was the one detail he remembered from his mother's few stories, she missed the light summer nights. Sunset was certainly later during the summers in Corona, as it was hardly tropical, but only young children needed to worry about going to bed before the sun had set.

Lars hurried along through the square following the royal grooms leading the horses, across the stone bridge and through the castle gates into the courtyard. He stopped just inside the courtyard to look around. The castle looked very different from the castle in Corona, being nearly surrounded by tall cliffs, rather than being the highest point for miles around. It had its charm, nonetheless, and seemed a more intimate place, though it was by no means small. Most importantly for his own plans, the stables seemed to be very convenient both to the castle living quarters and the town. He would need to find people who might have known his parents, so perhaps he would check around the fishing boats later on. He had no idea where to ask about his mother.

As he approached the stables, he heard a muffled conversation inside between whoever was inside. His horse and the ambassador's began neighing excitedly as they entered the stables, and he couldn't hear anything else over their noise.

"...the horses belong to the ambassador and his secretary," he heard the grooms say as the horses quieted down.

"Hopefully they'll get along well," a man said from inside as their horses were led toward the other horses. Lars followed them, and thanked the grooms as they left, walking directly to his own horse.

"You're glad to be on land, too," he said, stroking his mare's neck, "poor Amytis, I think that trip was worse for you, not even getting to go up to the top deck."

"Can I help you?" It was the man he had heard from outside, but he could not see who he had been talking to before the horses arrived.

Lars turned around with a start, seeing a large bearded man smiling at him.

"Sorry, this is my horse, and I just like to keep track of her... she misses her brother, too," he began, "at any rate, you seem to belong here, will anyone mind if I come by myself and take her for rides when I'm not working?"

"If she's your horse, I don't see why not," the man said, "but you didn't tell me who you were."

"Lars Nilsen, private secretary to his Excellency the Ambassador from Corona," Lars recited, pausing as he heard a noise from behind the man, "are those... reindeer? I've never seen any before!"

"I expect we'll be getting another joining us in a month or so," the man said, "since the Northuldra bring one as a gift for each baby."

"Amazing," said Lars, "may... may I look closer?"

"Of course, they're friendly," the man said. Lars walked over cautiously.

"What are their names? Or do they have names? I really don't know anything about them… I wasn't even sure if I should believe them when they told me there were reindeer here…"

"Yes, they have names," the man said when Lars took a long enough pause. "This little one next to you is Ragnar."

"Oh, like the Viking?"

"Yes, like the Viking. Ragnar came with Karl, but the name was Frederick's idea."

"Let's see… Karl is the youngest? That one was easy because it's the same name as my brother, but Frederick…" Lars began, wracking his brain for the full royal family names he had memorized before being assigned to Arendelle. "That would be the eldest son, and the heir to the throne?"

The man raised an eyebrow, "I'm impressed, a lot of official visitors only learn the first names. Don't call him Fred or Freddy, though, he's grown out of that. Now I'm tempted to quiz you on the entire family."

"We had to learn the full names and titles of everyone. I suppose some promptly forget everything once they've been tested, except the monarch and first in line for the throne, and maybe a regent when that's relevant. All of the official documents we have call him Prince Agnarr... names are funny things, really, they're just words, and yet we treat them like they've got magical powers..."

"Oh?"

Lars had been scratching Ragnar's ear, and got a lick on the face. "Woah! You are friendly!" The other reindeer began edging in on him. His horse Amytis snorted jealously. Lars stood up, petting the reindeer, and walked over to his horse. "Sorry, girl, I won't ignore you, I promise!" A larger reindeer walked over and started nuzzling him.

"That one is Samantha," the man told him, "she was the first one the Northuldra brought."

"Samantha?" Lars asked. "That's an unusual name. It sounds very English."

"I guess so? I'm not really familiar with English names," said the man.

"I had to learn English and French once I'd mastered Greek and Latin," Lars said, "luckily I've never had a real problem with languages."

"Since you ended up getting assigned here?"

"Oh, that was probably because my mother grew up here. I think the ambassador picked me expecting I'd have some special knowledge of the place, which I'm embarrassed to say that I don't. The whole trip here he was asking me about any little detail I might have picked up that couldn't be found in the official versions of events, and I was just spending the whole time trying not to be sick… I think he's disappointed in me, if you ask me, and work doesn't really start for a few more weeks."

"Should you be telling me this?"

"Oh, you're probably right. Spies everywhere, I suppose. You never heard me say any of this! I hope I can trust you, you seem nice enough!" Lars looked around somewhat nervously, realizing he had not been paying attention to what he was saying and to whom he was saying it.

"I can keep a secret," the man laughed.

"Thank you!" he said, breathlessly.

Just then, a man in royal livery appeared at the stable door.

"Is the ambassador looking for me already?" Lars stammered.

"No," said the man, very calmly, "though your rooms are ready if you wish to inspect them."

"Thank you," said Lars, then looking at the man in the stable, "and, nice to meet you, and I'll come back to see the reindeer again, I'm sure," he said, running off to the castle.

-end chapter-

[_Notes: __Assume reindeer in this universe have human lifespans or longer... it's just easier that way._]


	3. Lunch at the Castle

Kristoff watched the young man run back to the castle, then turned back to the steward.

"I assume your message is for me, Kai?"

"Nothing to worry about," the steward replied, "but Her Majesty wishes to see you."

"Thank you," he said smiling, "Is there anything else?"

"No, Your Highness, but if I may ask, was that the private secretary to the new ambassador?"

"Yes, he made that much clear. And I promised him that I wouldn't share our conversation, so you won't get anything more out of me."

"Very well, Your Highness, I'll take my leave," he said with a small bow, and left.

"We'll have to catch up more tomorrow, Sven," he said, closing the stable door and heading to the castle.

With a soft knock, he entered the royal bedroom. Anna was sitting on the bed, fully dressed, with the youngest boy and girl beside her.

"Do I need to change?"

"Just wash your hands, Karl and Marie want a picnic out in the garden," she declared as the boy and girl jumped into his arms.

"Will the doctor approve?"

"Probably not, but if you go with me, I won't be over-exerting myself, so it's fine."

He knew how bored she was getting with the doctor's restrictions, but they did have to at least keep up some appearance of following the rules. Still, some fresh air in the garden would probably be nice.

"You win this one," Kristoff admitted as he walked over to wash his hands. "Where's Sofia?"

"I think she went with Olaf to look for her brothers."

"And where are they? Hiding from the tutors? Or getting the tutors fired?"

"That was only once, and you fired him, if I remember. And it was Inga who gave him trouble, not the boys."

"She was justified, though I did learn some French from that man. You still haven't told me if I'm allowed to use any of it at official functions, though…"

Anna smirked and rolled her eyes. "As for the boys, I think Inga has managed to make Fred feel a bit guilty now, at least. He's starting to sit down for more than ten minutes for his lessons, that's what she told me yesterday."

"Well, I'm sure she'll be at dinner tonight. And, yes, I'll be there, too. Besides, I already met one of the new visitors, and he seems friendly enough."

"Does he know he's met you?"

"You know, I almost feel bad that other countries only ever get formal portraits of us…"

"You know that only works for you," she said. "So, what did you learn?"

"He's very young, and absolutely shouldn't go into espionage, but he knows our children's names better than their own parents do."

"I'll give him credit if he can keep the names straight trying to get them to stop climbing over the castle walls," Anna laughed, "but is he really that young?"

"I would be surprised if he's even twenty," said Kristoff, "but who knows. I suppose he's had an easy life, maybe he hasn't aged too much."

Gerda poked her head into the room.

"Your Majesty, the lunch is ready in the garden."

Marie ran out ahead with Karl following closely behind. Kristoff walked over to the bed and Anna took his arm. Marie ran back and forth several times as they made their way to the garden, while Karl toddlers his way at an excited but steady pace.

The food was laid out for them, and the children got first pick. A variety of sandwiches had been made for them, and Anna had been particularly enjoying her favorites since regaining her appetite after the first few months.

Kristoff helped Anna down onto the blanket on the ground. It was a warm, dry day, with no clouds at all. Anna rested against Kristoff's chest as the two younger children began running around the garden.

"How much longer, do you think?" Kristoff asked as he placed his hand on her belly.

"It could be any day, they said, or weeks."

"They're really not more sure? Do they even know if there's only one in there?"

"Yes, this time they're sure about that. It's the beginning they don't know about, since, well… I really have no way to tell. And this time it's not me forgetting to pay attention to which week is which… Karl was still nursing, if you remember, and things weren't exactly regular yet."

In the privacy of their own room, Anna was never this vague, but Gerda had scolded her a few times for being too openly descriptive in public places. Kristoff remembered the subject he really meant to broach.

"Anna," he began. She looked up at him somewhat nervously. He looked at her before continuing. "I know we don't like talking about it, since it's kind of morbid, but it still bothers me."

"Just because Mattias has retired doesn't mean he can't be regent, and you are listed on there, too," she said.

"No, it's not that. That's… fine. If… if… I'd rather he take responsibility if it had to be. And it will only matter for a few more years. That's fine." Anna could feel his muscles tending. She knew he had nightmares about the various ways the Regency Bill would need to be enforced.

"Then what is it?"

"Inga," he began, "I always thought it was a little unfair… I know she's older, but even when she was younger, she seemed better suited even with everyone telling her that her brothers came first… but now, she's behind even Karl in the line of succession, and only ahead of Sofia and Marie. And if this is a boy…"

"So, you want to rewrite the law," Anna interrupted. "It seems simple enough. And if Inga and Fred object, they can worry about that when the time comes. I hope that's a long time away, for once… I'll call the council together in a day or two. We'll see where everyone is off to. They'll complain more about having their unofficial vacation interrupted, I think."

Kristoff's breathing relaxed. He usually avoided official business outside of trade guilds. He knew that Frederick would probably be up to the task eventually, but if it came to that, there would be seven years of Regency instead of five, and with Inga, the regent could be more of a nominal position.

He hated thinking about it, and had been burdening Sven with his thoughts on the matter in recent months. There was one more issue he had been meaning to add, but that would be better left for some time when they had more privacy.

"Good," he said, "I was going to suggest one more thing…"

Right then, Sofia came running over.

"You didn't tell me you were having a picnic!"

"You weren't here," replied her mother, "but there's more than enough for everyone. Did you find your brothers?"

"Yes," she said, "they came up with a new game for Olaf. I didn't like it, so I came to find you."

She sat down on a corner of the blanket and found the largest remaining sandwich for herself. Kristoff looked at her red braids glistening in the sun, and he smiled without thinking. Of all the children, she looked the most like their mother. He still thought about the first night he saw her, the time he couldn't talk about with Anna.

Everyone sat in happy silence for a few minutes, with only the sounds of the birds chirping and the waterfall nearby, as well as the occasional giggles of Marie and Karl exploring the hedges by the wall.

"Mama, Papa, can I go to the party tonight?" Sofia asked her parents, "Inga always gets to go, and now Fred is going and Anton and Peder just said they were going!"

"I don't remember agreeing that the twins could go," said Anna, "what do you think, honey?"

"I'm pretty sure I only told Fred. Sofia, sweetie, you're only seven. When you're fourteen like Fred, I promise you can attend state dinners."

"But Peder and Anton are only twelve!" She whined.

"And they don't get to go, either," he said firmly but with a bit of a laugh.

"Can I go tell them myself?" Sofia asked while swallowing the last of her sandwich and running off, not waiting for an answer.

"You will be there the whole time, I hope? I think the new ambassador from Corona the one who thinks you snubbed him fifteen years ago."

"He wouldn't remember that, would he?"

"You'd be surprised," she chided him. He closed his eyes and grimaced, wondering how many of his other social errors the dignitaries would talk about amongst themselves. He really didn't mind that none of them seemed to recognize him if he wasn't wearing formal attire. It gave him a degree of freedom that his life in the palace usually lacked.

"Pap… Father," came Fred, as usual, trying to sound grown up, "You should come to break up the fight."

"What fight?" Kristoff replied, though he was pretty sure he knew what his son was talking about.

"Sofia says you told her the twins can't go to the dinner tonight, and they think she made it up, and, well, why can't they? I'm so bored, and Inga gets all the attention. None of them want to talk to me, just about me. It's like I'm not even there. And even when they talk to me, all they want to do is to tell me about some younger sister or other. I have my own sisters, why do I want to hear about theirs?"

"Freddie," said his mother gently, "I'm pretty sure Inga would be happy not to have half the attention she gets."

"It's Frederick," he snapped.

"And I'm your mother."

"I did say no," Kristoff said, "but Sofia ran off before I could leave. I was going to tell them myself. I'm not that diplomatic, but I think I'd have done a bit better of a job."

"But, Father, I'm going to be bored if they're not there!"

"How about a compromise?" Kristoff said, suddenly remembering something.

"What kind of compromise? Do I get to skip the dinner entirely?"

"No. But I met one of the new people today. He's not that much older than you, and he has no sisters. I'll introduce you. He has a horse and wants to go riding. You can show him around this week."

"Oh. That does sound decent," said Frederick, almost smiling, "still, you should probably go find them. I don't know how long Olaf can hold off a fight."

"I'm ready to go have a rest, if you help me upstairs," said Anna, "I'm sure they can wait that long."

"You go tell them, Frederick," said Kristoff, "and if you see the nanny, have her come get the little ones."

Frederick stood up and helped his mother up. She patted his cheek affectionately. He still looked very much like a boy, but he was already too tall for her to give an easy kiss to, and he was growing out of that sort of thing, anyway. His father put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You go see about delaying that fight, and I'll join you in a few minutes. And then both of us should get cleaned up for tonight. Your brothers get out of a bath, so they have something to be happy about."

Frederick ran off around the corner of the garden, out of their view.

"Marie, Karl!" Anna called out, "we're going back inside!"

"Mama! Papa! Wait for us!" Marie shouted as she ran over, with Karl close behind. As they walked back inside, Gerda was waiting at the door, ready to summon someone to clean up and someone else to find the nanny for the children's naptime.

"Do you want me to stay awhile?" Kristoff asked as they got back to the room.

"Of course! Unless you had something else to do." Anna said as she sat on the bed. He helped her with her shoes and stockings, and then the laces on the back of her dress. "Thank you. I think I'll take a nap like this. The maids can figure out how to get the wrinkles out," she said, laying down on her side and closing her eyes. Kristoff gave her a kiss on the forehead, and took off his shoes and vest before settling in facing her. He was more tired than he realized, and soon fell asleep.

-end chapter-  
[_Notes: __Absolute primogeniture didn't happen in Europe anywhere until the 1970's, but with a small council rather than an entire parliament to deal with, who knows?_

_On a lighter note, if you're looking for boring married couple stuff, you've come to the right place. Boring married couple stays boringly married. Not that there isn't angst._]


	4. The Family Portrait

A knock woke them up, and the door creaked open a crack.

"Mama?"

"Yes, Inga?"

"Could you help with my hair, please?" She said as she opened the door the rest of the way.

"Yes, of course," she said as she sat up slowly, "come sit on the bed here."

Inga walked over to the bed and then stopped when she heard a snore, her skirt swinging like a bell, brushing the edge of the bed.

"Papa!" Inga chided, "Dinner is less than an hour! You need to get ready. I just had to nag Fred, too. I don't know what they were getting into in the stables..."

Kristoff sat up rubbing his forehead. "Is he cleaning up now, at least?"

"I threatened that Nanny would give him a bath if he didn't start right away," she said with a laugh, adding sternly, "you should do the same now."

"Or you'll send Nanny up here?"

"No… Papa!"

He got up and closed the bathroom door behind him. Inga sat down next to her mother.

"Sorry, Inga," said her mother beginning to part her daughter's blond hair, "I should have had Gerda let us know when it was time."

"No, I'm sorry, Mama, it's just, I do feel awkward when it ends up just being me at these things. I enjoy some of the conversations, but you know what most of them are hoping… ow…"

"Oh… it got tangled in back there, let me work at that," she said, working at it as gently as possible.

"...and I'm taller than most of them. I shouldn't care. I just wish I knew that I was done growing."

"Freddie is as tall as you now. I think you're done."

"You're probably right. But that still leaves me stuck dancing with short foreign princes. But I know you won't understand."

"You'd be surprised."

"Wait, what?"

"There, done," the queen said, pulling the last ribbon tight, "go take a look."

Inga got up and walked to the mirror. "Oh, that is nice, thank you!"

"Have a nice evening, and please don't let anyone bother you too much, it's just a dinner," she said as her daughter kissed her cheek and ran out the door.

As the princess ran down the long hall, she saw a young man at the other end. She stopped briefly, took a breath, and walked slowly as she had been trained to do when dignitaries were around. She knew several official ships from various countries had arrived that morning, and they would all be at the evening's dinner, but she wasn't used to seeing any of them on their own.

"Are you lost?" she asked, noticing that he was looking at one of the family portraits.

"No," he replied, hesitating, and recognizing an older version of the girl in the portrait he had been admiring. "Pardon me, I hope I'm allowed to be here, Your Highness. You would be Princess… Anna Iduna Ingeborg...?"

"It's fine to be here, but most people don't explore alone. And, yes… that is my name. Sorry, you are?..."

"Lars Nilsen, private secretary to His Excellency the Ambassador from Corona. I'm sorry if I'm in the way. I had nothing to do before dinner, and I decided to look at the paintings. I assume this one was a few years ago?"

"Oh, that… yes. I was only nine. That baby is seven now, and there are some more now..."

"Yes, I was debriefed before we arrived, I shouldn't expect to see the Queen for some weeks, and perhaps not His Highness, either?"

"Are you always this formal, Mr. Nilsen? And you don't sound like you're from Corona."

"I'm sorry, I was rather afraid of offending a member of the royal family."

"I don't think we're easily offended, at least not in that way. And you can call me Inga, if you're not in front of anyone who cares."

"Um, thank you," he stammered, "you can just call me Lars, if you like, Inga."

"There, that makes things easier," she said grabbing his hand to shake it.

"So, how many of you will be at tonight's dinner?"

"Just Papa, myself, and Frederick," she paused to point at the boy next to her in the portrait.

"Oh, yes, I heard he goes by that name," he said as his eyes scanned the portrait some more, settling on the queen holding the baby, "and your mother, do you have any idea how long she's... to be in confinement?"

"She thinks it might be another week or two until the baby comes, though you never can tell. She's always back attending official functions after a week or two. Well, almost always... after the twins, it was several months before she made any official appearances. I didn't even see her for a long time, and Papa didn't even come out of the room for a week, which seems like a long time when you're four…"

She stopped what she was saying as she remembered sitting outside her parents' door each morning hoping to see them, and Nanny would find her and tell her that she should let her parents rest. Finally, one day while she was sitting outside the room, her aunt was quietly exiting. She knew she was visiting, but had hardly seen her this time.

_"Inga!" she gasped, "What are you doing here? How long have you been here?"_

_I'm sorry, I was waiting for Mama and Papa to have enough rest so they could see me again."_

"_Mama still isn't feeling well," her aunt said gently, "but I think I can get your Papa." _

Inga paused, biting her lower lip, and closing her eyes briefly, and looked more closely at the portrait she usually walked past.

The young man interrupted her silence, "My mother told me she always wanted a large family…"

The princess realized that she had been monopolizing the conversation, and asked "You're really from Corona? Your name doesn't sound like it."

"My mother is from Arendelle, and my older brother was born here, too, but they left before I was born. My father had died when… Oh. I was instructed not to talk about that time. I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about me. That was before I was born. But I won't tell," she said, getting close enough that her skirts were brushing against his leg. "You said you have a brother? Are you close?"

"He's only a year older. He's a lieutenant in the navy, just last year. Their ship was back in port, and the captain threw a big party for everyone. Mother and I don't get to see him as often as we like, but he writes every chance he gets. I even had a letter waiting for me when we arrived here this morning. Three letters, in fact. One from Mother, and another from Elizabeth…" he trailed off.

"Who is Elizabeth?"

"My… fiancee. She's the daughter of my brother's captain. I met her at the officer's party last year, and I proposed right before sailing here. Her letter this morning is that she's on her father's ship now, and will be visiting here before the end of the summer."

"Oh, that is exciting!" she said, not quite sure if she felt disappointed or not, "What is she like?"

"She's very sweet. She has 3 sisters, no brothers. Their mother doesn't go out much when their father is at sea, so my mother helped me a bit, coming up with excuses to pay visits to her mother."

Just then, Gerda entered from the other hall. "Your Highness, are you dressed for dinner? Oh, good! Your father wishes to see you in the library before you go."

"The library? Oh, well, I suppose so. Thank you, Gerda. Can you see if Mr. Nilsen here needs anything?"

"Of course, Your Highness," she said turning to see the young man.

"Please excuse me, Mr. Nilsen," Inga said, hurrying away down the hall.

She tried to think of what her father could possibly want to tell her that he couldn't have told her when she was in her parents' bedroom. Perhaps she was just to make sure that Frederick was on his best behavior and not trying to interrupt. But he could tell her that at any time. In fact, she was the one who tried to get him better behaved.

She knocked on the door as she entered.

"Oh, good, Inga, Gerda found you, then?"

"Yes, Papa, what did you want to tell me?"

"Your mother and I were talking this afternoon," he began, fiddling with a book that had been left on the table, then setting it down and walking over to the window.

"Oh, no," she interrupted, "there's someone I need to meet, isn't there? Did someone offer enough money or a good enough trade deal? And why didn't she tell me herself?"

"What?" Kristoff said blinking in confusion.

"Isn't that what this is about?" Inga realized she was shouting, and took a breath before continuing, "I really could accept it if people would just be transparent about it, but everyone seems to be talking in some kind of code. I'm tired of these mixed messages, looking me up and down, trying to see how clever I am, and how well I dance... Just tell me who I need to marry and what the benefit will be, and I'll do my duty…"

"No… what? What makes you think we would ask you to do that?"

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do with a 16-year-old princess?"

"No, I mean, some people do… a lot… I suppose, but… no, that is absolutely not what I was going to tell you…"

"Oh…?" she looked at his face, but he was looking at the fireplace now. He picked up a small vase as he collected his thoughts.

"We were… your mother and I, we were thinking that it's rather unfair that you're fifth in line, and if this next one is a boy, sixth, and…"

"Yes," she interrupted in a monotone, "I'm quite aware of where I stand."

"And, if you'll let me finish, your mother is going to call the council together this week to discuss changing the succession rules."

"Wait… but… what about Fred?"

"Hopefully you'll have a lot of time to discuss that some time in the future, that's up to you. But if anything happened right now, well, just to be sure…"

"Is there anything you're not telling me? Did the doctors say something?"

"No, your mother is just fine," he said, though Inga could see that same look in his eyes she remembered seeing when he finally came out of the room to see her when she was four.

"Sorry, Papa, I guess I should just say thank you," she said as he took her in for a hug, and he seemed more sure this time than the time she was little.

"Just… try to give me a little time to say things first? I don't know what that rhetoric tutor is teaching you. I never had one of those."

"You did have a French tutor," she teased as they sat down on the sofa.

"Yes, after he came storming in telling me that you were asking for Latin and Greek. I was pretty sure we'd hired him for Latin and Greek, but he seemed to think he was just to teach you French until your brothers got older."

"Oh, I remember. It wasn't that long ago. I told him I already know French, and if he wanted to teach French he should teach you."

"Yes, he told me that. I think he wanted me to punish you for impertinence, but I thought it was a good idea. He didn't seem pleased when I repeated the French he was saying, though."

"You didn't tell me that part, just that you sacked him."

"Oh, well, you were only ten. Your mother still hasn't told me what he was saying."

"Well, we should get going soon," she said, jumping up.

"We should see if Fred is already there."

"When are you going to tell him?" She asked.

"If the council decides to go forward with it, then we'll talk about it," he said, "and you don't have to, but I think…"

"Thank you, Papa," she said, running off ahead.

-end chapter-

[_Notes: __I can't find an exact link, but I toured a house built in 1859 which had a private bathroom for each bedroom, so I'm going with that here._]


	5. The State Dinner

Inga found her brother exactly where he was supposed to be, outside the doors to the dinner, waiting impatiently.

"You smell fine," she said as she stepped up next to him, "but let's see your fingers."

"Yes, I cleaned up!" he said, holding out his hands. His sister could see some dirt under his nails, but not a lot, and she knew that it would not be worth sending him back at this point.

"So, what were you doing out there?"

"Just climbing in the loft over the stables. That's it. When you found us, anyway…"

She glared at him, realizing that, yes, he was as tall as she was now. They were eye to eye. Across the room, she noticed the young man she had spoken with earlier… Lars was his name, she remembered. She waved to catch his attention. He came over.

"Good evening, Your Highness," he said, glancing over at the cluster of older men on the other side of the room.

"Oh, yes, hi, Mr. Nilsen," she said, realizing that he would, of course, need to be formal, just in case. "I don't believe you've met my brother, Frederick. Frederick, this is Lars Nilsen, from Corona."

Frederick looked over, realizing that his sister was talking about him. "Me? Oh, hey," he said, extending his hand a second or two later when he remembered that was expected if they weren't bowing.

"I've heard of you, of course," said Lars, shaking his hand. The young prince was nearly his height, and he had never thought of himself as short, "you two look much more alike than you do in the portrait," he said.

"That's not something I'm used to hearing," laughed Inga, "but maybe Freddie needs a haircut."

"I got it cut last month," he protested. "Anyhow, Mr. Nilsen, are you the one with the horse? Father said he was going to introduce me to someone with a horse…"

"I… have a horse," Lars said, "but I don't believe I've been introduced to your father, yet. I think I met the castle steward when I was in the stables, though."

"You probably did meet him, then," laughed Frederick, "but here he is, now, so we can make sure you do."

Lars turned around, recognizing the man from the portrait.

"Oh, good," said Kristoff as he approached, "you two have already met!"

"Papa," said Inga, "have you met Mr. Nilsen?"

"Your Highness," said Lars, feeling a twist in his stomach and hoping this was, in fact, their introduction.

"Yes, we've met," he laughed.

"We… have?" Lars stammered.

"Oh, Papa, you really shouldn't play games with people," said Inga.

"It was my mistake entirely, I forgot to introduce myself."

"I'm terribly sorry, I should have asked. I didn't realize that I would be meeting anyone so soon…"

"Well, here we are," said Frederick, "and you've met us now, and they're letting us in to eat, and I'm starving!"

Kai then signaled for attention. Inga had to poke Frederick back to attention after their father had been called in, and then it was her turn to enter the dining hall. As she sat down, she noted which countries had sent actual princes, and which ambassadors were in attendance. Despite her father's assurances that there were no plans of any negotiations involving herself, she did try to pay attention for any foreign princes who didn't look too old, or too short, just in case it would benefit anyone.

After all the ambassadors had entered, she saw the young man they had been talking to, and made eye contact, remembering to smile. She generally didn't bother. She had heard the maids saying how it was important to smile if a young lady wanted to be attractive, but she already knew it didn't really matter for herself.

Once she had eaten the first few courses, she was able to relax a bit. Perhaps she wasn't as hungry as Fred, but she hadn't exactly had a big lunch, either. Her mother was right, too, at least this was only a dinner. She always got praised by their dancing instructors, and she had enjoyed dancing when she was younger, but in the last few years, she started realizing that, as far as she was concerned, all her dancing partners, aside from her father and brothers, were sizing her up, hoping to gain her maiden hand for some grand duke or other, back in their home country.

She kept up with whatever conversation was expected of her with the men next to her and across from her at the table. This time, none of them had brought wives or daughters. Sometimes when they did, it was a relief, but sometimes all they wanted to discuss was hinting at which brother or uncle of theirs was being pushed at her, or worse, hinting that they were looking at her brother as a potential match.

She didn't need to talk about serious subjects all the time, and she would be more than happy to discuss the pony they liked to ride or the lovely fabric they found for their new dress. But it always came down to the young men they had either recently married, or were soon to marry, or were actively being courted by. And she was 16 now, and they would tell her all about the other princesses who were engaged by that time.

During a break in the conversation, Inga noticed her brother walking to the balcony. She excused herself to follow him. She would not be stuck inside if he was allowed to leave. She saw him making his way to the roof.

"I caught you!"

"Fine, then join me," he said, "you know I'm not trying to get away from you, and it's nice sunset."

"Not in this dress, I won't. We can see the sunset from here. Besides, they won't bother coming this way, the ones I was talking to didn't have any princes or dukes to introduce me to this time. And I didn't see any young ladies, so you're perfectly safe."

He slid back down.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're joking, right?" She asked incredulously.

Frederick stared blankly at her.

"They're all looking to marry you. It's rather simple."

He wrinkled his nose.

"I wouldn't worry, they won't make you do anything right away, they just want to secure you before you agree to anyone else."

"Now you're the one who's joking."

"Well, that's what all those people in there are thinking. Except Papa. And I'm pretty sure Mama thinks the same as him. So you don't need to worry."

"Well, thank goodness," he said moving closer to her, "And I'd miss you if you left. Marry someone here instead."

She gave him a half hug, as much as her skirt would allow without going flying up toward the room behind them.

"That's sweet of you, but I don't have any ideas, yet. I promise you I won't keep it a secret. I always hoped I might be lucky like Mama."

"That... didn't seem very lucky…" he said elbowing her gently.

"Oh… I was thinking of Mama and Papa… but, see, that's all the more reason for me to avoid any of them in there."

"Fine, then, we'll both avoid them this evening."

"Who are you two avoiding?" Lars asked, stepping outside. Inga and Fred both turned around with a start.

"Oh! It's just you!" Fred exclaimed.

"You can join us out here, if you like," said Inga more calmly, "but I hope you didn't hear too much of what we were saying."

"Well, just as a warning, I was sent out here by the ambassador to find you, and he's going to want to invite you to the coronation of the prince and princess of Corona."

"Oh, and he's the perfect age for me, isn't he?" Inga sighed, "but I know you're not supposed to say as much."

"Officially, you're being invited because your parents are unlikely to travel in the next few months."

"Couldn't they decide for themselves who to send as a substitute?" Fred interrupted.

Lars shrugged, "that's outside my authority, you know."

"I suppose I should go back in, then," Inga sighed.

The ambassador from Corona was standing in a corner of the room with two other ambassadors she vaguely remembered seeing before. She stood quietly a short distance away, wondering how long their conversation would continue. The names of people and locations could have been changed around, and everything they were saying would be equally meaningless.

One of the men noticed her standing near them, and all three abruptly cut off their conversation and turned to bow.

"Your Excellencies," she replied, "I understand that His Excellency from Corona wishes to speak to me?"

"Your Royal Highness," began Mr. Meyer, "if you would permit me, we wish to extend an invitation to the coronation of His Royal Highness, Prince of Corona, to be held in two months time."

"Your Excellency," Inga began, pausing to think of the best response, "I had understood that His Royal Highness has a twin sister? Will she not have a coronation, as well?"

"Oh, yes, but of course. It will be on the same day, in fact."

"Am I not to be invited to the coronation of Her Royal Highness?"

"Well, yes, you are, obviously, invited to both."

"Thank you, then why not say so? As it is, I don't believe I am old enough to be traveling unescorted. And, I believe, my parents should be asked first?"

"Ah, of course, Your Royal Highness, that is quite true."

"Thank you, Your Excellency, I will await their instructions."

Inga returned to the balcony as quickly as she could gracefully manage. Her brother and Lars were having an animated discussion, it would seem. The sun was making its slow summer journey toward the horizon, always looking like it would soon be dark, and never quite getting there.

"Oh, good, Inga, you're back," said Fred enthusiastically, "was it what you were afraid of?"

"I shouldn't say anything," she said, glancing at Lars.

"I'm sorry, if you'd rather I left," Lars began.

"Well, I suppose you don't have to tell anyone this, but your ambassador made it sound like your prince doesn't have a twin sister."

"Um, I'm sorry?" Lars asked in some confusion.

"I think she's saying that they want her to marry Prince… what's his name? And what about me? There is a princess, and she's not that much older than me, and I know I was saying I don't like it, but a trip would be fun…"

"Fred…"

The two glared at each other as Lars stood, unsure of what he should be doing.

"I'm sorry, we really shouldn't be speculating about this around you," Inga apologized.

"That's… that's quite all right. I knew there would be occasional marriage negotiations, but I really thought they would be at least a bit more…"

"Subtle?" Inga suggested.

"Romantic…" Fred blurted out. Inga gave him another look.

"You know that's what you're really thinking."

"At any rate, I told the ambassador I'm too young to travel alone and that he'll need to ask my parents first."

"And, if he had asked your parents first?" Lars asked.

"Well, he didn't. I have as much or as little decision making power as I want, when it suits me."

"To be honest," Lars said in almost a whisper, looking around the inside, "that was absolutely not what the ambassador was instructed to tell you."

"What do you mean?" Inga asked.

"Just before we left Corona to travel here, I accompanied him to his audience with the royal family. The princess, I mean the mother, of course, expressed regret that your mother would not be able to attend the coronation, and had hoped that she could finally meet some of her children. I'm quite certain she didn't mean it the way the ambassador told you."

"I didn't know that she knew them," said Fred.

"Everyone knows everyone at some point, I suppose," said Inga.

"Oh, well, she and her husband were here twenty-one years ago, and stayed for a few months. I guess they liked the place in spite of things."

"I had no idea," said Inga, "I hope this doesn't sound rude, but our mother has never mentioned that."

"Perhaps she was referring to your aunt, then?"

"I don't know…" Inga said as she tried to think.

"Well, quite a lot was going on then," Fred offered, "so maybe they were just too well-behaved to be remembered."

"Perhaps you're right. And, of course, they all send nothing but politely flattering messages to each other," he paused, "no offence to you two!"

"None taken," Inga said. Noticing the sun had finally set, she looked inside. "Should we see if they've served dessert?"

"Ow!" Fred shouted as his dash inside was stopped by his sister's grip on his wrist.

"I should probably check in with His Excellency," said Lars, "but, Frederick, I do hope to take you up on the offer to ride around the countryside."

"Have a good evening," said Inga.

"Now can we get dessert?" Fred asked when Lars was inside. His sister nodded and went on in.


	6. In the Royal Bedroom

The morning sun streamed in. There was a soft knock at the door.

"Your Majesty, you rang?" Kai asked as he cautiously opened the door, coming in further only when he saw the queen dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed facing the door.

"Do you know if the council members are still in town?"

"I believe so, Your Majesty. One or two might be at country estates, but not very far."

"Good. Could you please see that they're summoned in the next few days? We would like to discuss some possible changes to the succession. Let them think we'll be changing the regency clause if that will get them here faster."

"Very well, Your Majesty. Will that be all this morning?"

"Yes, thank you," she said as the steward exited and closed the door behind him.

"You're up early," Kristoff said, emerging from the covers on the other side of the bed.

"I can't sleep much lately, anyway," she said, "and you know, you didn't have to hide, I think he's seen worse by now."

"It was an excuse to sleep a few more minutes. Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Just some heartburn. The midwife was saying it's a sign that the baby will have a lot of hair."

"Really?"

"I don't know. She says a lot of things," she paused, "so, how was that dinner last night?"

"I ended up getting cornered by the ambassador from Corona, because apparently we don't allow Inga to make any decisions on her own, and they are extending an invitation for her to attend the upcoming coronation."

"And what did you tell him?"

"That you need to make that decision."

She put her hand on his arm and gave him a teasing glare.

"Come here," he said, gently pulling her down, "if you're going to have a council meeting this week, you need to rest now." She rested her head on his chest, looking at his face.

"It might be a day or two while he finds everyone. I said they wouldn't like their vacation interrupted. I think one of them even has a retreat on an island out there. He'll be difficult to find. Are you hungry?"

"I thought you said you had heartburn."

"Only at night. And I asked you."

"I wouldn't mind some breakfast," he said, reaching over for the rope to ring the bell.

"When do you think I should ask Elsa to visit?" Anna asked after a minute.

"You would know that better than I would."

"I told you, though, I really don't know how long it's going to be. Not right away, of course. But it could be a few weeks."

There was another knock at the door. This time Gerda peeked in.

"Something to eat, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, thank you, for both of us."

The door closed again.

Kristoff stroked her hair.

"Maybe I'll let her decide," she sighed.

"She'll assume something is wrong, and I wouldn't blame her. That's worse than just telling her to come. If you want to see her sooner, invite her."

She sighed.

"Really," Kristoff continued, "if you tell her not to come yet, she's going to worry. So I think the answer is pretty obvious."

The doorknob was rattling, and they heard a faint tapping on the door.

"Mama! Mama!"

"It's Karl, could you let him in?" Anna said as she slowly sat herself upright.

Kristoff got up and grabbed his robe and put it on while he walked to the door.

"Mama!" Karl yelled as he ran in to the bed.

"I suppose Nanny was busy getting breakfast, but you can eat with us," Anna said as he quickly climbed into bed with her to cuddle.

Kristoff checked the hallway for anyone else before closing the door and going into the bathroom. When he came back out a few minutes later, he was dressed for the day. Karl was nestled against Anna and nursing.

"Should he be doing that?" Kristoff asked.

"It's perfectly safe, even the doctor didn't see any harm in it, and the little guy definitely needed some comforting."

Breakfast arrived. Karl didn't want to move.

"Hey, let's get you some bread and jam," Anna said, gently detaching him. She went over to the small table by the window and sat down. Karl went over and pulled at her while she spread some jam on a slice of bread and handed it to him. He stuffed it in his mouth greedily as Kristoff picked him up and sat him on his lap across the table.

Another knock at the door.

"Nanny, is that you?" Anna called out.

"Yes, Your Majesty," she said, opening the door slightly, "did Karl come in there?"

"Yes, he's having breakfast with us. Are the girls having breakfast with you?"

"They are, Your Majesty. Would you like me to come for Karl in a few minutes?"

"Actually," Kristoff interrupted, "I think I'll take him for a ride a little later."

"Very well, Your Highness," she replied, and slightly bowing as she closed the door, "Your Majesty."

"It does look like another nice day," Anna said wistfully, "I am starting to feel kind of trapped."

"Do you want to go out to the garden again this afternoon?"

"Not if it's an inconvenience," she said.

"If I see Inga, I'll send her up here to keep you company for a while."

"Only if she's not busy, I don't want to impose on her," she said, "but that would be nice."

"Oh, and, just as a warning, when I brought up the succession issue, she… kind of… jumped to conclusions…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"She seemed to think we were trying to arrange a marriage for her?"

"Um… I hope you told her we're doing no such thing."

"Of course, of course… and it's a good thing, too, since I got the idea that the Corona invitation was presented to her as a pretty blatant move for something like that…"

"Why would they do that? There must have been some misunderstanding. I mean, some kingdoms, yes, they take one look at the children and think they're nothing but commodities…"

"Well, maybe talk to her…" he suggested as Karl was wiggling back to the floor.

"And, what?"

"I don't know, you were a sixteen-year-old girl once, weren't you?"

"That's… not helpful," she said, watching as Karl climbed onto the bed and began jumping.

"Maybe it's something she's been reading?" He winked.

"The Hanging Gardens…"

"What gardens?"

"The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. She was telling me about it when she was just starting to read through the Greek and Latin books in the library. The gardens were built for a princess who was sent away from her mountainous kingdom to live in the desert…"

"Is that what she's been reading?" Kristoff asked, as he caught Karl mid jump.

"Just be glad it wasn't Oedipus Rex," she laughed, "Actually, no, she probably has read that, but I don't think she'd want to talk to us about it."

"Should I read that?"

"Well, our copy is in Greek…"

"You know, I've heard people translate books sometimes…"

Kristoff assisted Karl in doing several flips on the bed as he giggled wildly.

"Maybe it's time to take him on that ride you were promising."

"Good idea," he said, scooping up the boy, "let's go!"

"Bye, love!" Anna said as her husband kissed her on the lips, "and you, too, Kristoff."

Anna sat at the table looking out over the courtyard, watching them head over to the stables. He saw them come out, mounted on Sven, as they trotted off out the gates.

The door creaked open.

"Mama?" Inga asked, "I saw Papa when he was heading outside. He said you might like some company."

"Only if you aren't busy."

"Of course not," she said as she sat down at the small table and got herself a slice of bread and spread some butter on it.

"I heard that the ambassador from Corona spoke to you last night," Anna said cautiously.

"Yes," she said finishing a bite of her bread,"it was rather ham-fisted, if you ask me."

"Your father got that idea."

"Oh, I didn't see him nearby, was I that loud?"

"I really don't know, just that the ambassador came to him after speaking to you."

"I'm not sorry for that. What did Papa say?"

"He told him it was my decision. And I'll leave it up to you, but at least you can be honest with me. You really won't offend me. I remember that ambassador from years ago when he was younger."

"Really? He's been here before?"

"Yes, but you wouldn't remember. You had just turned two years old. I had left a ball a bit suddenly because I… wasn't feeling well. I guess your father followed me out without excusing himself from a conversation."

"He did strike me as a bit self-important…"

"Most of them are, I'm afraid," Anna said sipping her tea.

Inga glanced out at the courtyard deep in thought.

"That ambassador's secretary seems nice enough," she said, still looking outside.

"Oh? Your father seemed to like him, too, though he seemed to think he can't exactly keep secrets."

"Well that's probably true," she laughed.

"Why? What did you learn?"

"The Crown Princess seems to think she knows you. And they visited here twenty years ago? You've never mentioned that."

"Oh… I'm surprised she'd… I mean I'm not surprised. Of course she was here."

"We figured she was just being polite," Inga said, adding flippantly, "I can't imagine someone would have actually enjoyed their time here then…"

Anna looked at her daughter.

"Sorry, Mama," Inga said quickly, looking down at her lap.

"No, just… don't worry about it," her mother said, as she began pouring herself another cup of tea. "By the way, I'm going to be inviting Elsa to visit soon."

"Oh, I'm glad to hear that," Inga replied quickly, "does this mean you think the baby is coming soon?"

"I don't know about that, you really all come and go when you want, don't you?" Anna teased.

Inga rolled her eyes but smiled a little. She had heard more than a few visitors grumbling about the children left to run wild through the castle, as well as one or two tutors and governesses who didn't stay for long. None of the complaints were ever about any of the things that actually bothered her about her family.

She wished they would keep their thoughts to themselves, of course, and she certainly wished that they would remember that just airing their thoughts in French didn't give them any secrecy. She and her siblings might be undisciplined, but they heard and understood the whispers about "les petits sauvages" all the same. The visiting diplomats knew better than to say anything around her mother. The first time she heard someone say it, she was standing with her father. She didn't quite understand the implications, because she was still young, but she was in the habit of helpfully translating everything for her father when official guests would slip into speaking French. He told her to ask them to repeat what they said for him, and the men grew very uncomfortable.

She had been staring at the town for a while. She realized she hadn't had anything to drink, and poured herself a cup of tea.

"You don't have to decide right now," her mother said, "but at some point I'll need to give the ambassador an answer about the coronation invitation."

"Maybe if Frederick can come," she replied, "I don't know. I don't want to go by myself, or just myself and a chaperone. I know a chaperone of some sort would be expected."

"Do you think he'd really want to go?"

"He said last night he'd like a trip, but I'm not sure how serious he was."

"I don't know. If you think he'd actually behave himself...he'll still be fourteen then, and you'll be seventeen. It's a big difference."

"But you think I'd have been better at fourteen, don't you?"

"I didn't say that," her mother said quickly.

"But you and Papa were thinking it."

"Oh, well, that was his idea, but I thought he had some good points. We are going to bring the council in this week, if Kai can find them all. I mean, unless you really don't want to, but I do think you should consider it."

"That's what Papa said, too," she sighed, "and I told him, I guess I should be grateful. I'm just afraid that Fred is going to resent me for it. I mean, I understand why he'd want it this way, I really do."

"I'm sorry we brought it up so suddenly. He does get worried, you know, and I can't blame him for that…"

"But you'd tell me if there was anything… anything in particular to worry about right now, right?"

Her mother looked at her and nodded. Inga decided she needed another slice of bread, this time with extra butter and jam.


	7. Exploring Arendelle

Lars had taken an early morning walk into town. The fishermen were too busy to be bothered, so he wasn't able to ask them anything, and most of the shops weren't open yet, so he simply got a better sense for the layout of the town. He remembered that Frederick, as the oldest prince had insisted he call him, had offered to show him around the countryside if he wanted to go riding. He had also told him to stop by the castle kitchen any time he wanted something to eat, but he didn't feel comfortable with imposing like that.

As he was walking back toward the castle, he noticed a bakery opening up, and he realized he was getting hungry. It looked like a local bakery, and he really wished that his mother had been the sort to do her own baking, because he had absolutely no idea what he should order.

A bell rang as he walked in the door. The woman behind the counter turned around and smiled.

"Good morning," he began, "what would you recommend?"

"You can't go wrong with a kringle," she said, "I assume you're not from around here?"

"No, in fact, I just arrived yesterday," he said, then realizing the chance, "but my parents were from here."

"Really?" she asked, moderately interested, "so, kringle?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Here you go," she said, handing over the kringle and accepting his money, "and, who were your parents, if I may ask?"

"Jan and Margit Nilsen. Jan Nilsen died before I was born, so I never knew him."

"Nilsen is a common name around here," she said, "but I might ask my great aunt when she stops by this afternoon. Are you staying a while?"

"Yes, I'll probably be here for a year," he said, finishing a bite of his kringle.

"Ah, well, I hope you enjoy your time here. How is the kringle?"

"Very tasty," he said after a few more bites, "I'll be sure to come back often, thank you."

"And now, I'll be heading back," he said as he finished the pastry.

"Have a nice day," she said as he left.

He heard boys' voices as he entered the castle gates. Frederick was just running toward the stables from the other side of the courtyard.

"Good morning, Frederick!" Lars called out. "Are you planning to go riding today?"

"I hadn't really thought about what I was going to do," Frederick admitted, "but if you'd like me to show you around like I promised, that would be great."

The two walked to the stables. Two boys popped out of the stable. One looked like a smaller version of Frederick, the other, a little bit taller, had reddish blond hair.

"Oh! Hey, Fred," the blond one called out, "Who's this?"

"Lars," Frederick replied, "He's from Corona."

"I'm Peder," he replied, "and this is Anton," he said, pointing to the other boy.

"Pleased to meet both of you," Lars said, bowing slightly to each boy.

"If Father comes back, tell him I'm taking Lars here out for a ride," Frederick told them.

"You really don't mind?" Lars asked him.

"Of course not!" Fred said, excitedly slapping Lars on the back enough to make him stumble a bit. Fred was already as tall as him, which wasn't surprising by itself, since his sister was just as tall, but the boy didn't seem to know his own strength.

He knew the full names and dates of birth of everyone in their family, but he hadn't even been able to recognize their father out of the formal dress of the official portrait that was sent to every kingdom. He wondered what else there was that he was unaware of not knowing.

He followed Frederick into the stables, and as his eyes adjusted to the change in light, he looked around a bit more. He heard less excitement from the horses than the previous morning, but the horses and the reindeer combined were still making enough noise that he couldn't hear what Frederick was saying. He heard another voice behind him.

"Hi there!"

Lars was not prone to startling, but upon turning around, he screamed.

"Oh, sorry, I get that sometimes. Let's try again. Hi there, I'm Olaf!"

Lars stood completely still and just stared. A snowman was apparently talking to him and wanting to shake hands.

"Sorry, Lars," Frederick interrupted, "I should have warned you about Olaf. This is Olaf. Olaf, this is Lars Nilsen, from Corona."

Lars was still just standing and staring. The snowman said something about nice to meet him and going to visit Samantha as he walked away.

"You know," said Frederick, "I think I'll just take you around town and maybe up the fjord a bit for a nice view… you probably aren't ready for what I was going to show you…"

"Umm… that's fine," Lars finally stuttered. He now started to remember some of his mother's stories about Arendelle that he had dismissed as fairy tales. He would need to write to her.

They walked their horses out of the stables and mounted them. Lars followed behind him out the gate. The horses walked very slowly through the town toward the hillside. More shops were open, and people were going about their business. It all looked so completely ordinary. He wanted to ask Frederick where he had originally planned on taking him, but he decided if the boy thought he wasn't ready to see those things, then he would wait. He would be here for a while.

"So, Frederick," Lars said before they left the main part of town, "do you know people in the town who might know a lot about someone who left Arendelle twenty years ago?"

"The tavern, they might know," Frederick replied.

"I really don't think my mother would have frequented a place like that," Lars said somewhat defensively, "and the way she talks about my father, I really can't imagine him, either."

"What do you mean? What kind of taverns do you have in Corona?"

"It's a respectable place, then?"

"I hope so. We go there sometimes. I think that makes it respectable."

"I apologize if I implied otherwise."

"Don't worry about it. We can stop there on our way back and you can ask."

They had left the main part of town, and the horses began to trot up the hill. The view of the fjord was spectacular. They slowed down as they approached the top of the cliff. Frederick hopped off his horse, and Lars did likewise. The prince pointed out all the major landmarks they could see, and mentioned the directions of various locations that Lars wasn't familiar with. As they went to get back on their horses, two men on horseback were riding back toward the town, one in royal livery, the other appearing to be some nobleman who was definitely not at the state dinner the night before. They stopped when they saw Lars and Frederick.

"Your Royal Highness!" The men bowed slightly.

"We're just out for a ride," Frederick replied, "what are you two doing?"

"Queen's business," the nobleman said, "it seems I've been called back to the castle. Do you know anything about this?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Oh. Nevermind, then. We'll be on our way. Enjoy your ride, Your Highness."

As the men rode back into town, Lars looked around where they were on the cliff. There were paths going into the woods away from the town, but it seemed that Frederick was taking them along the fjord.

"What's in the woods over there?"

"Trolls."

After this morning, Lars had no idea whether to take him seriously or not. Was the boy teasing him now? He was prepared to believe anything at this point.

"If you're getting hungry, we could just go back into town and I'll introduce you to Halima at the tavern," Fred suggested.

"I'm fine, really," Lars protested.

"Well, actually, I'm hungry," the boy admitted, "and I do wonder what those men were rushing back to the castle about…"

"Is that normal?"

"Not really," he said, "that is, I don't remember mother having a meeting like this when she's this close to having a baby… maybe Inga remembers better. On the other hand, I never go to meetings, anyway. Inga sometimes does. They tried having me sit in on a meeting once or twice this spring, and I ended up kicking the table and one time even knocking my own chair over, and I couldn't tell you what they were talking about…"

"Oh, sorry…"

"It's fine," he said, but sounded a little angry all the same.

"You wanted lunch, then?"

"Yes, let's do that," Frederick said, cheering up a bit.

They turned around and headed back at as close to a full gallop as they could, only slowing down when there were more people using the road.

"We should probably take the horses back to the castle first," Fred suggested as they went through the middle of the town, "it's not very far, and we should give them a rest."

Lars nodded, and followed Fred back. The stables were quiet and nearly empty when they got there. The other horses were eating.

"They've probably gone to the garden," the boy suggested.

After getting their horses settled and fed, the two walked back out into the town. It was almost noon, and Lars had to admit to himself that he was beginning to feel nearly as hungry as young Frederick. The tavern was somewhat crowded, with men and women from the town taking a break for lunch. A freckled girl with brown braids, perhaps ten years old, ran up to Frederick.

"Hello!"

"Oh, hi, Meibel," said Frederick, "is Halima here?"

"She just left, but she'll be back in an hour. Why?"

"My friend here just arrived from Corona, and he's hoping to find out about some people who lived here 20 years ago."

"Are you going to introduce him?"

"Sorry… Lars Nilsen, Meibel Stensland."

"Is he someone I'm supposed to bow to?" Meibel asked, looking at Frederick.

"Lars, I leave that up to you," Frederick said.

"Um, I don't think I'm in that kind of position, certainly not yet," he said, extending his hand to the girl.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Nilsen," she said, shaking his hand vigorously.

"And now," Frederick said, "I think I need lunch. What about you, Lars?"

"I'll have whatever you're having."

"I'll be right back!" Meibel said, running off.

"She looks very young to be working here," said Lars, watching her go into the kitchen.

"She doesn't, not really," said Frederick, "she's their ward, but she likes to help out."

"Whose ward?"

"Halima and General Mattias," Frederick explained, "they took her in when she was young."

"The general?"

"Well, he's officially retired now, but yes."

"I suppose that's why she seems so… familiar with you?"

"I'm familiar with a lot of people here," he said, somewhat confused.

The door opened.

"General Mattias," Frederick called out, "I want you to meet someone."

The general blinked as his eyes adjusted, staring at Lars.

"Hello? You are?"

"This is Lars Nilsen, he came with the ambassador from Corona, but his family's originally from here, so we were going to ask Halima if she'd know them."

"I'm sure she will," he said, "there's something familiar about you. Which family?"

"His parents left here twenty years ago," Fred interrupted, "that's why I suggested Halima."

"Well, my mother left here," Lars corrected, "my father was already dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mattias said, "how old was he? It's possible I might have known his family."

"You know, I don't remember. I have a lot of things to ask my mother in my next letter… I should have thought to get a photograph of them before I came. That would have helped a lot. Mother says that Karl, my brother, that is, looks just like my father when he was younger."

"I suppose you take after your mother, then?" Mattias suggested.

"I've never been told as much," Lars said somewhat sadly, "but I suppose that's one problem with growing up so far from any family, I've never heard about this uncle or that cousin that looks just like me. I'm really not even sure what any of my grandparents looked like."

Meibel brought the food out, and Fred started eating right away.

"Are either of you eating?" Lars asked the general and his ward.

"I grab a snack every time I'm back in the kitchen," Meibel admitted.

"Don't tell Halima," the general laughed, "and Mr. Nilsen, if you'd rather have a private meal, we can go to another table."

"I think that's up to Frederick," he said, "but I'm not on duty, anyway."

"Oh, please do join us," Fred told them between bites of food, "I figure if we learn anything, we'll get some more stories, and I'd like that."

Lars enjoyed the meal, especially since he hadn't had a very substantial breakfast. He was quite full, but Frederick asked for second helpings, which Meibel gladly went to the kitchen to fetch for him. While she was in back, Halima returned, and Mattias waved her over to their table.

"This is Lars Nilsen," he explained, "and he tells us that his parents are from Arendelle, and he's trying to learn more about them."

"Nilsen is a common enough name," she said, "when did they live here?"

"My mother left before I was born, so about 20 years ago, I think it was during the winter. My brother was about a year old, and I was born in April. Her name is Margit Nilsen."

"That sounds familiar," Halima said, "and I think I remember a woman with a baby whose husband died around then… and I didn't see her again, but I figured with the little one she'd probably go live with family if she had some anywhere. I didn't know she was pregnant, but that's certainly easy enough to hide for a while if you want to, I suppose."

"Why would you want to hide that, though?" Frederick asked.

"Never you mind that," Halima told him, "not everyone is in your mother's position."

"I don't think she was hiding anything. She and my father had wanted more children, but I think she wanted a change after… all that…"

"Have you had a good life in Corona, then?" Mattias asked him.

"Oh, very nice," Lars said, "we've been well taken care of. My brother is in the navy, I was telling Frederick a bit about him last night."

Meibel had returned with the second helping of lunch, and Frederick was too busy eating to respond.

"You'd think they never feed you," Halima laughed.

-end of chapter-

_[Author's Note: __Norway didn't actually have standardized hereditary surnames until the early 20th century, but Denmark appears to have had standardized surnames before the 19th century, so I'll just assume Arendelle was a bit more forward-thinking. It makes things much easier, doesn't it?]_


	8. Children's Games

_[Note: __Warning: traumatic flashbacks.]_

_-begin chapter-_

Kristoff rode out on Sven with Karl to a favorite spot in the woods. Karl loved finding new roots to crawl through and rocks to jump off. Kristoff knew the spot well, and knew it was perfectly safe, and more importantly, away from well meaning people watching and worrying that the child was climbing too high, or that he shouldn't be running around without clothes.

He had packed a few of the pastries from breakfast, and some bread, and they had a nice light lunch. After that, they washed up a bit in the nearby stream, and packed and dressed to return home. They were in no hurry.

_"You need to see your daughter."_

_"I can't leave Anna, not yet."_

_"I'll stay with her in here, don't worry. She's sleeping. Your daughter has been waiting outside that door for entirely too long."_

He slowed down at the edge of the woods looking over the city while a messenger and one of the council members rode past, not noticing them.

_"Papa! Do you want to see the babies? Let's go see the babies! Come on!"_

_She grabbed his hand. He had no choice, and it wasn't their fault. He needed to see them, he knew that._

By the time Kristoff and Sven returned to town, little Karl had fallen asleep. Kristoff carried him carefully up to the nursery, and gave a silent cheer to himself when the boy stayed asleep after being set down in his crib. He went back to the stables to check on how Sven was doing, and the twins and Olaf had decided to take the other reindeer out to the garden to play.

He decided to come along, since Sven was going with them anyway. They were attempting a game of deathball, which was rather difficult when most of the players lacked hands for throwing or holding a bat. Sofia soon ran outside and joined them, as she enjoyed playing ball much more than whatever they had been playing the day before. At some point after having lunch, Inga came outside and insisted on joining in, but was bothered by not having the correct number of players per team. This led to some arguments with her brothers. Kristoff had been pitching for them, and decided to take a break sitting by a nearby tree.

"Where's Frederick, Papa? We could really use him to even out the teams," Inga shouted across the field in his general direction.

"He went out riding with that new guy from Corona," Anton called back, "and who knows how far they were going, he didn't say."

"Oh, right! Papa!" Peder yelled, "We were supposed to tell you that if you got back! Fred went out with what's his name?"

"Lars," Inga said.

Then they got back into discussing whether they had enough players, and whether they needed different pitchers for each team, or whether their father could pitch for both sides, and whether they should wait and see if Frederick got back soon, and if maybe that Lars person would know how to play. Sofia began climbing one of the other trees.

Kristoff gradually tuned it all out, and Sven came and sat down beside him. The game would happen or it wouldn't. They could figure that out. The weather was too nice to be inside, even if he felt guilty about it. He started to doze off. He couldn't relax, even when he was asleep, knowing that the next child could come any day.

_The first two births, aside from the usual messy, hectic affairs, had gone easily. They were both fairly relaxed the third time. They had the usual midwife and her assistants to check in on things, and the baby nurse was ready to switch her attention from two__-year-old Freddie to the new baby, who was now old enough for Nanny to take him around with his older sister and keep them out of the way when the time came._

_Anna had written Elsa just that morning that, perhaps, in a few weeks would be a good time to visit, but there was no rush. She had heard that subsequent children sometimes arrived faster, but she wasn't expecting that afternoon. The midwife was sent for, and arrived with her retinue in short order. She was calm; the queen had two children already from two easy births. It wasn't a fast birth, but a few hours later, the happy parents were sitting together adoring the newborn. The assistants were helping clean up, trying not to get in the way. The midwife was starting to get impatient for the afterbirth. Anna let out a pained cry._

_Kristoff called over the nurse and handed her the baby. Anna's face was distressed and confused. It wasn't supposed to feel like this now. The midwife went in for an inspection._

"_There's another one!" She exclaimed, trying to feel and see more._

"_What?" They said together. But the midwife didn't have time for a reply._

"_Breech! Girls, be ready! Ingrid, you've never seen one before, just follow my instructions!"_

_Kristoff could see Anna in more distress. He tried to focus on her face, but her pain plus the flurry of activity caused him to look over. He immediately regretted it. He was used to some blood, but not this much. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to her, holding her through her cries of pain. He couldn't do anything else._

_He wasn't sure if it was five minutes or five hours. The voices of the midwives faded into the background. The baby nurse had long since taken the first of the twins to the nursery. At some point, he heard a new cry over all the other noise. He looked up. The baby was small, but loud and angry. The baby nurse had returned at some point, saying the nanny was watching the other baby, and Gerda was watching over the older children. Was she talking to him? Anna was calm. Too calm. Her face was drained of any color, and her breathing was shallow. The doctor came in, asking the midwife details, and told her to continue what she was doing._

_He must have fallen asleep at some point. Someone said they had found two wetnurses. They had never hired one before. He felt the sheets starting to move, and a maid's voice saying "excuse me, your highness" as he groggily sat up. Where was Anna? They were moving her._

"_No!" He shouted._

"_Please, your majesty, we need to change the sheets."_

"_What are you doing with her?"_

"_We're getting her into some clean clothes. You should do the same. She's very weak, but you need your rest, too. Just wash up and come back."_

_He washed his face. Someone had brought another set of pajamas. He changed into them. He turned around and walked back to the bed. The sheets were clean, and Anna was there, groggy and almost asleep again. She was pale and looked smaller than usual, except for the belly that still looked pregnant. He got on the bed next to her and gave a kiss on her forehead. He buried his face in her hair that was spread next to the pillow and fell asleep on top of the fresh sheets._

"Papa!" Inga shouted, "Frederick is back! Lars says he'll try playing, but we'll need you to pitch again."

Kristoff groaned a little as he stood up.

He pitched the ball to Inga, who was at bat. Peder and Sofia tried to catch the ball, but couldn't agree on which of them should run after the ball and who should guard the base. Inga had made it all the way to fourth base before Sofia had run over with the ball ready to tag her if she moved. Lars was next. He had no idea how to hold the bat, so Anton tried to demonstrate, and he started to figure it out his grip, but still never managed to hit the ball. Kristoff's first pitch had been the same as he'd thrown to Inga, but after that, he tried gently lobbing the ball the way he did for the younger children, but it didn't help, and Sven ended up catching all the balls in his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Lars," Fred called from the other side of the field, "I should have asked if you've played any games like this before!"

"I'll figure it out soon enough," Lars said, walking back to the end of the line.

Anton was next, and hit the ball easily. One of the reindeer caught it on a bounce, and Inga made it in to score a run before Anton stopped on second.

It was Inga's turn at bat once again, and this time she only bunted the ball and made it to first base. On his second time at bat, Lars hit the ball easily, and Frederick and Peder were battling the bushes along the wall looking for it while three runs were scored.

"It's not fair!" Sofia shouted, "we haven't even had a chance to score yet, and they're already ahead by four!"

She began to cry, and Kristoff discovered she had rejected lunch in the nursery, and hadn't eaten since breakfast, so they stopped the game again, and the older four began tossing the ball amongst themselves and Lars, helping him practice some more.

Kristoff took Sofia down to the kitchen and sat her on the table in the middle of the room while he grabbed a loaf of bread and sliced off two pieces, then found some meats and some lettuce for it.

She quickly ate it, and wanted another, which he got her.

"Are you ready to go back out now?"

"It's too hot, and I'm tired," she said, still a little grumpy, "can I see Mama?"

"Let's go check on her."

Anna was happy to see them. Olaf had come up to visit during the earlier break in the game, and he had gone off to find them again a few minutes earlier. Kristoff sat next to Anna on the bed, and Sofia squeezed between them to relay her version of the events of the morning.

"And then everyone else had lunch already!" Sofia concluded.

"Did nobody get you lunch?" Anna asked her.

"I wasn't hungry when Nanny served lunch. And I didn't want soup."

After a minute, Sofia hopped back off the bed.

"I think I'm going to go play with Marie. She always plays by my rules," she said as she ran toward the door, slamming it behind her.

They sat for a few minutes. Kristoff placed his hand on her belly to feel the baby kicking and turning. Somehow that never got old. Anna played with his hair.

"Was there anything in the game she didn't tell me about?" Anna asked, smiling and raising an eyebrow.

"They were arguing over rules, or players, or substitutions, or something... they can handle that. Well, obviously Sofia got upset, but that was really just not eating. It's fine."

"What's bothering you?" she pressed.

"Nothing new. It's getting so close now, you know I think about it."

"I've been fine every other time, and I know that doesn't change being afraid," she reminded him. She held her hand over his, but she looked out the window.

"You're still here, I know."


	9. Timing and Dates

There was a faint glow of twilight on the horizon. The baby was turning rather roughly, and Anna wished she had eaten a lighter dinner the night before. She grabbed for a small mint in the jar she was keeping at her bedside now. Kristoff was snoring. She knew she wouldn't be sleeping, but tried closing her eyes again.

_"Why won't you touch me?" she asked him again._

_"I… am touching you… what do you mean?"_

_"We're not in public. We're alone, and married, and it's been more than two years… the doctor even said it would be perfectly fine now. At least, that's what I thought he meant… he wasn't exactly being clear when he spoke to me… if I was jumping to conclusions and he told you something else…"_

_"No… that's what he told me, too. You didn't misunderstand that…" he said, turning around to sit on the edge of the bed._

_"So… I'm… Am I just not really attractive any more?" _

_He turned around quickly at the suggestion._

_"No. No, you are, very… very… You're beautiful. Still. And it's torture not to…" _

_"If you don't want more children, at least just say so… We have four, that can be enough."_

_"No, I mean… I would love more, but… it's not about that, really…" he said, turning back away._

_"Then what?"_

_"I don't want to lose you."_

_"We're all going to die sometime," she said with a nervous laugh._

"_In the future…" he said, turning around to look at her, "and don't joke about it, please, you almost did..."_

"_But I didn't."_

_"I don't want them to grow up without their mother."_

Anna stared out the window at the horizon, the blue glow slowly changing to purple and pink. The white nights were hard enough to sleep through when she could sleep, but it had been difficult lately.

"I'm not blaming you," she said with her hand on her belly, "but you're welcome to come out at any time."

She was amazed that Kristoff was sleeping through all her tossing and turning and getting up out of bed in the middle of the night. She had pretty much settled on just sitting up in bed to sleep with pillows stacked around her for the last few weeks. She felt like the only one who wasn't worried at these times. She didn't want to hurt anyone, and she knew why they were worried about her. But she wasn't afraid for herself.

Her memories of the twins being born were vague and scattered. It was a month before anything should have been happening, and then she remembered the two of them looking at the baby and commenting that he had her hair. Then there were increasingly dream-like memories of people rushing about her. She remembered sitting up to see Kristoff asleep in a chair that had been pushed next to the bed, but then feeling suddenly ill and blacking out, she didn't know for how long. Elsa was there the next time she woke up, and she realized she didn't hear a baby, and at this point wasn't even sure she had really remembered holding it.

_"The baby! What happened to the baby?"_

_"They're fine, both of them."_

_"Wait… both?"_

Anna got up and walked to the bathroom. She turned on the light and looked at herself. In the gaslight, at least, she hadn't really changed. Outside, the sun was up. What day was it? Last night, Kai had told her that nearly the entire council had arrived, certainly enough for a quorum. She had agreed to go ahead and have the meeting first thing in the morning on Monday. It was Monday, that was all she had thought about. She wished she had told him to wait until the next day, at least. Twenty-one years now. She could try not to think about it.

She started to doubt whether it would be a good idea to try to spring any changes on the council when they were still expecting at least another few weeks to themselves. A few of them had been around before her father was even born. And now she was thinking about what day it was.

She decided to ring the bell for breakfast, since Kristoff would need to wake up at some point. She ran her fingers through his hair.

"Honey, they're probably going to have that meeting this morning. You should get up. I've already had breakfast sent up for us."

"If you expect me to get up," he said, pulling her back down on the bed, "you're doing a bad job of it."

"The meeting will be early, though," she said, gently pulling his hand away and sitting up, "There was no way around it."

Kristoff reluctantly got up. Breakfast was set out when he was cleaned up and dressed, and Anna had already started her toast. They both focused on eating. When they had finished, they made their way to the library, where the council was already waiting.

Anna sat down, and introduced the proposed change. It was obvious that several of them really had been given the line about changing the regency clause, and they were looking disgruntled already. She had really meant it as a joke, and regretted saying it out loud. The proposed change seemed simple enough, though, and most of the council members were quietly nodding in agreement. She asked if anyone had questions before she left to let them discuss the matter amongst themselves.

"Yes," one of the oldest members spoke up, "does this mean you intend to take out the legitimacy requirement?"

Anna looked at Kristoff, who had been sitting quietly across the table, and he met her gaze with a mix of panic and anger.

"Excuse me, Your Grace," Anna said, "I don't think I understand. Why would we intend to do any such thing?"

"It didn't seem worth mentioning before, especially as the princess has so many brothers, but there was some… talk… about the timing of her birth."

"That is quite some talk to be bringing up now, but I don't see what the problem is. We were married in November, and I remember that you were there, and she was born in August, that seems simple enough."

"Ah… Yes, that was a… charming little thing… However, I seem to recall that the bishop did not perform the ceremony until some time later, and then perhaps there was some… urgency."

Anna breathed slowly to try to control the flush she could feel in her cheeks. She looked over at Kristoff, and could tell that he was subtly fidgeting and clenching his jaw to avoid saying anything regrettable.

"Thank you for reminding us, Your Grace. It is true, we weren't able to schedule a ceremony with the bishop until April, but I still don't see how that's relevant to the topic at hand."

"Your Majesty, if I may be blunt, allowing the princess to inherit would open the door to… many other claimants. Your grandfather, and certain of his ancestors, were not exactly known for… I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but I think you understand me?"

"I understand perfectly, and you don't need to worry about offending me on the topic of my grandfather. However, as you clearly have never read the laws closely, I will remind you that laws on legitimacy have no say about length of gestation, and whichever wedding you choose to accept, there is nothing to question…" she took a deep breath and shut her eyes.

"Your Majesty…"

"If that is the only question Your Grace has on the matter, I believe I have answered it completely. There is no question of legitimacy here, and comparing that to… whatever my grandfather did outside of marriage… please, let's leave it at that."

She looked over at Kristoff. He looked like he might explode any minute.

"I need some rest," she said, "I expect the council can come to a decision."

Kristoff took the opportunity to walk over and help her out of her seat.

They walked out of the room with his arm around her shoulder. As soon as the footman had closed the door behind them, he picked her up and carried her back to their room.

He freed one hand to open the bedroom door, and it slammed behind them.

"Is everything… are you...?" Kristoff tried to ask.

"Frustrated, that's all," Anna interrupted, "They've had seventeen years to bring that up."

"I'm sorry I suggested it at all."

"No, it let me see what that man really thinks. I never felt quite right about him, and now I know for sure."

She adjusted herself on the bed, breathing and closing her eyes to calm herself as Kristoff helped her get her shoes and stockings off. He unlaced her gown and slipped that off.

"Could you hang it up over there? The maids always tell me what a pain that one is to clean and press, and it will be the only really formal one that fits me for a few months… thank you."

After hanging up her dress, he came back over and sat down, letting her lay her head in his lap.

Anna sighed, "I suppose I was a little too impatient about getting married right away."

"There were two of us. I could have told you to wait."

"Could you have? Once I suggested it?"

"Probably not," he admitted, "and I wouldn't change anything… not about that, I mean."

She smiled up at him and closed her eyes again, working on collecting herself a bit more and calming down.

"And I'm glad you kept me from saying anything in there," Kristoff admitted, "I don't think I could have said anything useful."

"I read through the law books in the library when I got tired of novels… it's been helpful."

"Do you think they'll make a decision today?"

"Maybe? It's hard to say. Everyone else was nodding… I mean, of course, a lot of them nod in agreement just because they don't feel like arguing, so that doesn't mean much. But that man didn't exactly have the others jumping in agreement with him, and I don't think it was out of politeness."

"You kind of had me worried," Kristoff said, "and I think some of the others really thought you'd have the baby right there…"

"That's probably why the doctor wants me to avoid official duties right now," she laughed nervously, then looked up. "Hey… why haven't you changed out of your suit? I feel really underdressed now."

"I didn't notice… or, well, maybe I did, but I really was worried about you. Would you feel better if I changed?"

"Yes, please…"

There was a knock at the door.

"Just a minute!" Kristoff shouted as he kicked his suit to the corner of the room, grabbed his casual clothes and went into the bathroom.

"It's just me!" Frederick shouted through the closed door.

"Go ahead and come in!" Anna said, hoping she didn't need to shout. Her throat felt dry from her talking during the meeting.

"Mother?" Frederick asked hesitantly, "Is there something going on? Yesterday I saw one of the council members riding in, and this morning it looked like there was a meeting going on…"

"Oh…" Anna hesitated, "it's probably going to be nothing. What have you heard?"

"Nothing, really, just that they were called in."

"Can we hold off discussing this for a little while? Like I said, it's probably going to be nothing, and your father and I aren't… in the best of moods."

"Um, ok… is it something I did? I didn't mean to leave a tab at the tavern. I promise I'll start bringing money with me."

"Oh. No, no, that's not it, not at all. Well, I mean, I don't want you eating all their food and not paying… That is a good idea to bring some money with you. Please do that."

"Aren't your tutors looking for you?" Kristoff asked as he came out of the bathroom.

"Not yet. It's early, if you haven't noticed."

"Oh, right."

"Inga was going to the library to study, and heard the council in there arguing, and she told me, and that's why I came to ask about that…"

"Oh," said Anna, "I'm surprised Kai didn't think to check with anyone about that."

"Huh, no, the tutors only come there when they can't find Inga."

"Um, well, why don't you go get ready, then…" Kristoff said.

Frederick frowned but quietly left.

"So…" Anna began.

"What did you tell him?"

"I said that it's probably going to be nothing."

"You don't know that."

"Inga was worried about him, and he seemed worried. I don't want to worry him more than necessary unless we need to."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing in particular… It was about that event in Corona… she was saying she'd prefer to have him along if she goes. Maybe he would enjoy a trip."

"I guess he's not that young, either."


	10. Rumors and Misunderstandings

Lars woke up to a knock at his door.

"Mr. Nilsen," a servant said as he opened the door an inch, "His Excellency wishes to see you."

"What time is it?"

"Almost eleven, sir."

"Oh! Did the ambassador say what he wants to discuss?"

"No, sir."

"Thank you," Lars acknowledged. The servant left, firmly closing the door, and Lars quickly dressed, and walked down the long hall to the ambassador's room. He knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Mr. Meyer called from inside.

"It's Mr. Nilsen, sir."

"Oh! Please come in!"

The room was a similar size to his own, but facing toward the town. Lars had the feeling the ambassador had requested that.

"I've noticed that you've become friendly with the heir apparent," the ambassador stated.

"Yes," he confirmed, confused by the question, "Sir?"

"It's quite nice. He seems to be… an energetic young man."

"He is, sir."

"I noticed you were out riding yesterday, and I wondered if you might have learned anything about this morning's meeting."

"Meeting, sir?"

"Quite early, it seems. The queen had her council assembled. Does the prince know anything about this? Is there any chance he mentioned anything?"

"Well, no, sir," Lars began, "but, well…"

"Well?"

"We did encounter a member of the council riding back to Arendelle with a messenger. But no one seemed to have any idea what was going on."

"Curious…"

"Is there anything else, sir?"

"Now that I think of it, if you know the lay of the land a bit now, perhaps a short ride would do me some good. Do you have any obligations today?"

"No, sir. I would be happy to, sir."

As they walked across the courtyard, Lars wondered what they would encounter in the stables today, but it was all quiet except for the snorting of the animals inside. The pair mounted their horses, and Lars showed him the way out of town that he had been shown the previous day. The ambassador asked him if he had learned anything more about his family, and he had to admit that he had learned very little. What little he had learned may as well have been misremembered out of eagerness to please a visitor, for all he knew. Still, the ambassador was pleased to hear of his acquaintance with the general.

"You do know he will be the regent if anything happens before the prince's twenty-first birthday," Mr. Meyer reminded him.

"Yes, of course," Lars acknowledged, "though that isn't something I would wish on them. But why him?"

"He is very attached to the royal family, going back to the grandfather, and if you ask me, there's always some advantage to a potential regent with no… conflict of interest."

Lars nodded. "Sir, do you know anything about the general's ward?"

"Which one? All I know is that he and his wife take in orphans from time to time."

"To help in the tavern?"

"Not to my knowledge. I think the general's wife had been running that by herself for quite some time before they were married. I think as far as the wards are concerned, they've generally raised them and introduced them into society, such as it is around here…"

Lars tried to relax his face from the involuntary wince he felt it make at the ambassador's extraneous comment. He might not have learned very much of interest to Mr. Meyer, but he had gathered that the eldest royal children, at least, felt quite aware of the comments that were made by some of the visitors.

They had come to the path that Frederick had told him about the day before. Lars stopped his horse, and the ambassador pulled up beside him.

"Sir," Lars began, "do you see that path?"

"Yes, what about it?" the ambassador asked, looking to the dark, narrow trail the young man was pointing to.

"Yesterday, when we were here, the prince told me it led to trolls. I really don't know if he was teasing me or not…"

"Oh, yes, the trolls. They're real enough, I've been told," the ambassador said, continuing his way on the open trail they had been on.

"Really?" Lars said, catching up to him, "My mother had told us stories about them, but I thought it was only a fairy tale…"

"Some people would think the same about stories of our kingdom," Mr. Meyer said quickly dismissing the young man's concern, "but how much farther did you ride? I don't wish to get lost, and I had promised some other dignitaries I would meet them for an early dinner in the town."

"This was about as far as we went," Lars said, looking up ahead at the cliff along the fjord.

"Did you bring a pocket watch? I forgot mine, and I can never tell the time of day by the sun this far north," the ambassador said.

"No, sir, but it must be early afternoon by now," Lars told him.

The men turned around and went back into town. The ambassador's colleagues were just exiting the castle gates as they arrived, so Lars offered to return his horse for him. Mr. Meyer happily accepted the offer.

As he approached the stables, Lars heard angry yelling, and what sounded like the mysterious voice he had heard the first day.

"Hello!" Lars called out, not wishing to get in the middle of any dispute.

"Oh, it's just you," Kristoff said as he stepped outside, looking rather angry.

"Your Highness," Lars bowed.

"You really don't have to do that, you know," Kristoff said, chuckling quietly as his face softened.

"I could lose my position if I don't."

"Well, I'm pretty sure anyone who would care isn't around. Call me Kristoff."

"If you're sure…"

"So, you were out riding two horses at once?"

"No, just… the ambassador had lunch plans after we went riding. And… I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh, nothing, really. What did you hear?"

"Nothing, really. And I really didn't. The ambassador has started asking me if I've learned anything, just so you know. Especially with that meeting this morning."

"Ah, yes. What does he know about it?" Kristoff said, his back mostly turned, focusing on finishing a few tasks.

"Nothing, which is all I knew, I promise."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Kristoff paused, trying to remember what he had been telling Sven before he was interrupted, but he was pretty sure he hadn't said anything too specific. He turned back to face the young man, "So you know, there's a good chance if you say anything interesting, I'll be telling my wife about it."

"Oh, and then the council will hear about it, and whatever I say will make its way back to the ambassador…"

"Don't worry about the council. We're… they're… the less said, the better."

"I see. So," Lars thought for a second, "it's you against them?"

"Hm, now I think I'm the one who should keep my mouth shut."

"Well, that's nice, to have an ally like that. I hope when we get married it's like that…"

"We?" Kristoff stiffened.

"Whenever that is… It could be a while, of course. Who knows when we can get all the family in one place…"

"Which family?"

"The family in Corona."

"Your mother and brother?"

"And her mother and father and sisters. Getting them all in one place would be difficult."

"Who are we talking about?"

"Elizabeth, my fiancee?"

"Oh," said Kristoff, letting out a relieved breath.

"What?" Lars asked.

"Nothing…" Kristoff paused, "So, you've known her for some time?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, did I not mention her before? Who did you think I was talking about? Oh…" Lars began to flush.

"I didn't say anything," Kristoff smirked.

"No, no, she's very nice, but I hardly even know her, so even if I weren't already engaged..."

"You'd be surprised."

"I… really should just..." Lars had finished settling the horses, but stood still, wishing he could disappear.

"Have you had a chance to eat?" Kristoff suggested, "You got left taking the horses back while they were off eating, you must be hungry."

"I'll go out later," Lars said, "I don't really want to run into them… no, that sounded wrong. I just mean, they probably wanted to have a more private conversation."

"I'm about to head to the kitchen. As long as you're not too picky, there's plenty to eat."

"Oh, actually, that might be nice. I really didn't want to impose, but I know I was told I could…"

Kristoff nodded and walked out the door, waving Lars to follow. They crossed the courtyard and went in a side door directly to the kitchen.

"Sandwich?" Kristoff offered, taking out a loaf of bread and a knife and cutting off some slices.

"Sure… is there ham?"

Kristoff reached up for one of the meats hanging above and cut off a few slices.

"Thank you," Lars said as he took the sandwich. "You know, you're much friendlier than the ambassador led me to believe."

"I hope you haven't told him that," Kristoff laughed, "I have a reputation to keep up."

"Oh, no, I haven't," Lars replied earnestly.

Kristoff smirked. The two ate in silence for a few minutes. Lars finished and looked around for a way to clean his hands. Kristoff handed him a clean towel.

"Just so you know, I probably offended that ambassador of yours the last time he was here. I really don't remember what I did," Kristoff confessed, trying not to laugh.

"Um, yes, he might have mentioned something about that," Lars said nervously, "in fact, I think he told me that nobody other than the queen was worth seeing at diplomatic functions."

"I won't argue with that," Kristoff smiled.

Lars fidgeted slightly, realizing that he might sound like a horrible flatterer now.

"So," Kristoff broke the silence, "I haven't heard much about the ride you took yesterday. Did you enjoy the views?"

"Yes, very much… I… learned a lot."

"I wasn't aware of my son being a source of state secrets…"

"Nothing like that… at least, I don't think so… but I realized I should have paid more attention to my mother's stories…"

"Which stories would those be?"

"All of them, really… most of them my mother had said were real, I just didn't quite believe her. But even she thought the trolls were just stories to scare children…"

"Is that so?"

"I don't know, really. That's what my brother and I always figured. The other stories, we'd sometimes argue about whether they could be true, but those, she always told us she saw them, even if we didn't believe her. With the trolls, it was just stories from her mother, and she probably heard them from her mother…"

Kristoff nodded, and began to walk outside with Lars following.

"I have to be honest," Lars continued, "I thought he was just teasing, but then Mr. Meyer seems to take it seriously… and his sense of humor is… well, that's not his idea of a joke."

"But you didn't see them for yourself?"

"No, it was right before we headed back into town for lunch. Frederick just told me when I asked where one of the paths went…"

"Ah, good to know."

"What?"

"Never mind," Kristoff said quickly, "Your family is from here, I remember. Have you found any of them?"

"Not really. Nilsen is far too common of a name, I think. And my mother isn't the most social of people, so it's quite possible that anyone who really knew her isn't around any more, for one reason or another."

"Well, at this point, do you really want to learn more, or is that ambassador making you feel like you should know more so that you don't feel like he hired you by mistake?"

"Umm…" Lars hesitated, "That was more why I started asking around. Now I think I'm actually curious. Just… I realize that I know so little, and there was that thing Halima said… I told the ambassador that she was probably just being polite saying she might have remembered my mother, but I really hope there weren't so many young widows with babies right then… I'm rambling. There are a lot of possible explanations."

Kristoff looked like he was about to ask something, but shook his head to himself and walked on.

"But you know," Lars continued, "I was thinking I should write and ask my mother. Why don't I go do that now? Thank you for lunch!"

Lars ran back inside the castle and walked up to his room. Closing the door behind him, he went to his desk and took out the stack of his mother's letters. He read through, and there was nothing that stood out about Arendelle. He got out a blank sheet of paper, and began writing.


	11. A Visitor

"Inga," Frederick called out from the corridor, catching up to his sister just before she walked outside, "I didn't see you when I was studying today."

"Oh…" she shrugged as she opened the door, "I got a lot done yesterday and Monday, so the tutors told me to take today off."

He followed her out the door.

"So did you?" he asked, blinking at the sudden sunlight, "take a day off?"

"You didn't see me," she remarked, looking over her shoulder, "Does that answer your question?"

"Right, I guess so," he nodded, walking ahead a bit before turning around. "Speaking of Monday… Did you hear anything else about that meeting they were having?"

"I never heard anything about that," Inga admitted, "but I imagine if anything… important… was decided, they'll tell us. I was actually helping Mama with correspondence today, and I tried to bring it up, but she didn't think there was anything worth telling me..."

"You do that a lot, don't you? Writing letters for her?"

"I'm sure she'd let you help if you asked. It's not usually that difficult. You always write if someone is born or dies or gets married, and be sure to write in the correct language…"

"That's mostly French or German, I'd imagine. Maybe some English?"

"Count Esterhazy still writes exclusively in Latin."

"You can keep that one," Frederick laughed.

Frederick and Inga sat down on a bench at the edge of the garden. They could hear Anton and Peder somewhere nearby.

"Should they be doing that?" Inga asked, listening to their laughing and shouting.

"I can't see them, and I have no idea what it is, but they probably shouldn't be," Frederick admitted.

They heard Nanny scolding them, and Sofia repeating whatever Nanny said, for good measure. The twins soon came around the corner, looking dejected.

"Where's that friend of yours?" Peder asked.

"You mean Lars?" Frederick replied, "I haven't seen him today."

"Too bad," Anton said as he kicked at the dirt. "I like him, even if he does have silly hair."

"What's silly about his hair?" Inga asked. "It's not that different from yours, you know."

"Oh, I didn't mean the color, just the mustache. I don't have one of those, at least."

"And you won't for a long time," his sister told him.

"Won't what?" Lars inquired, approaching them from the direction of the courtyard.

"Oh, nothing important, just something silly they were talking about," Inga said quickly.

Frederick laughed loudly. Inga shot a glare at him, raising her eyebrows.

"Um, well, obviously I missed some inside joke, but that's fine," Lars shrugged.

"Oh, no, we were actually just talking about you," Peder informed him.

"Really?" Lars blanched. "Nothing bad, I hope?"

"No, nothing bad," assured Peder, "except Anton doesn't like your mu… oof!"

Anton had elbowed his brother sharply.

"I think neither of you gets to talk for the next hour," scolded Frederick, trying not to laugh more.

"I have a brother, you know," laughed Lars, "so I think I can handle whatever it was."

"That doesn't mean they should be talking about people we barely know," Inga interrupted, looking at her brothers. Frederick, at least, was trying to behave. The twins were both standing on the other bench, discussing the merits of climbing over the wall.

Having nowhere to sit, Lars leaned against the nearby tree. Nanny had started an English singing game in another corner of the garden with Sofia and Marie.

"Is your nanny English?" Lars asked.

"No," answered Inga, "she just likes that song. I don't know why. It's a pretty melody, but the lyrics are actually rather morbid when you know what they mean… at least, that's what Vicky told me when they were visiting here."

"Oh, you mean the one from England?" Lars half asked.

"Yes, it was a few years ago, but I kept in touch with her for a few years. Less so since she got married."

"I didn't mind that visit," Frederick added, "but I wish that their father hadn't been so obvious about his matchmaking interests. My German might not be as good as it should be, but I could tell what he was talking about, though I guess at least Louise is about my age."

"Mr. Meyer… the ambassador, I mean…" Lars clarified. "He was posted in Belgium for several years, where he got to know the king. If you think the father of your English friends was blatant, his uncle is far worse. I think Mr. Meyer has been hoping to perform the same sorts of services for you and… well..." he trailed off, knowing that was a sensitive subject.

"It's sad about their father, though," interrupted Inga. "I wrote to Vicky when I heard about it. She sent something back, but I'm not really sure if she wrote it herself. Not that I can blame her."

"Oh, yes," gasped Lars, "that was quite shocking. I mean, my father is dead, but I never knew him, so it doesn't bother me in the same way. I imagine it would be far worse-"

"Can we not talk about this?" Frederick asked, trying to sound bored instead of distressed after having done some quick mental calculations about their own father's age.

Lars stood by the bench awkwardly, and Inga sat for a while looking at Sofia and Marie dancing around in the distance, with little Karl pretending to keep up. Peder and Anton started climbing the nearest tree a dozen feet away. Frederick walked over to them and tested which branches he could reach while standing on the ground.

"Can I ask you something, Lars?" Inga inquired earnestly.

"I suppose?"

"Did your mother ever consider marrying again?"

"Um… I never thought about that. She was always so focused on the two of us, and the only other person she ever talked about was our father. Even if she had thought about it, we weren't from around there, you know."

"Well, that shouldn't make a difference," Inga sighed, "and people move to Corona from elsewhere all the time, I heard you say that yourself."

"I guess she just kind of kept to herself. Even when we had people visiting, she just wasn't very social."

"Sorry," Inga apologized, "I didn't mean to pry or anything."

"Don't worry about it," he assured her, "to change the subject, I actually came over here just now because I got a letter from my brother this morning, and they'll be arriving this week, and I thought you'd all like to meet him."

"Just your brother?" Inga asked pointedly.

"Well, all of them, including Elizabeth. I got the idea from my brother's letter that they hadn't told her about the change of itinerary, otherwise she'd have written to me first, I'm sure."

"Where were they originally going?" Frederick asked, sitting in the middle of the roots of the tree across from them. Neither Inga nor Lars had noticed him listening to their conversation.

"Various places. The Southern Isles is the big one they're skipping. That's a little worrisome, since things had been quite amicable for a while…" Lars stopped himself, "and that's probably something you should forget I said."

Inga laughed. "I don't think you'll need to worry."

Frederick frowned at her.

"Who's Elizabeth?" Peder asked, hopping down from his tree branch.

"His fiancee," Inga answered quickly.

Lars looked over at her, but she was suddenly engrossed in watching the younger children.

"Yes," Lars replied, "I haven't seen her in over a month now."

"Did you get any letters from your mother?" Inga asked.

"Not since I last wrote a few days ago, but of course there's been no time for that to reach her yet, even if there were a steamship available."

"Why can't she get the letter sooner?" Peder demanded.

"Hush, Peder," Inga scolded him.

"But why not?" he whined.

"Perhaps getting a regular steamship from here would be useful," Lars replied.

"That's not what I… oof, Inga! Stop that!" Peder protested as his sister kicked him in the shin.

"Why don't we go on a ride?" Anton suggested. The others readily agreed. Inga went to tell Nanny where they were going, and caught up to the others as they slowly walked to the stables. Frederick proudly mentioned that he had brought money with him, so they could have lunch in town on their way back. They tacked their horses, and set off from the castle.

As they left town, heading up the hill, Inga looked out over the fjord and thought she saw something at the horizon on the water.

"Stop!" she shouted, pulling up even with Frederick. "Fred, look!"

"Oh, I was starting to wonder when she would get here!" Frederick laughed, "let's go back!"

Anton and Peder quickly followed him down the hill, and Inga started to follow, then rode back to Lars when she realized that he hadn't moved.

"What is it?" Lars asked as she approached.

"What is it?" Inga repeated sternly, "We've all turned around and you're just staying there. You don't have to come with us, but I don't want to be rude and leave you here…"

"No, I mean…" Lars began, but Inga was riding away back down the hill quickly to try to catch up with her brothers.

Inga caught up with her brothers just as they were entering the castle gates. A stable boy had run out just before she arrived, so they left their horses with him and ran through the castle and down through the side door to the fjord.

The twins were first out to the shore. Inga had caught up with Frederick and he let her go outside first. The sun was almost blinding on the water.

"Aunt Elsa!" the boys shouted, running out into the water as Elsa dismounted the Water Nokk and it dissolved into the fjord with a bow. Inga stood back and smiled. Her aunt always took time with her, so there was no need to push in on her brothers. There was a lot of noise about how long it had been, and how much they had grown, and debate with Frederick as to whether he was taller than his father yet, and the boy insisting he was still only as tall as his sister.

After the noisy greetings died down a little, the group walked up the steps and back to the courtyard. Inga let them all through the door, and walked along behind them. She noticed Lars up ahead giving his horse to the stable boy, looking around seeming somewhat confused. Elsa noticed him, too, and stopped.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"Oh," Inga ran up to her aunt's side, "this is Lars, he's from Corona. He's the private secretary to the new ambassador."

"We're keeping him entertained until his work starts," Frederick added.

"Corona…" Elsa mumbled under her breath, still staring at him.

Lars blinked, realizing who he was looking at, and bowed silently, too stunned to remember the protocol he had learned.

"Oh," Elsa smiled nervously. "Please, you don't need to do that. What's your name again?"

He stood up quickly enough to feel a bit dizzy, and repeated his well-rehearsed line, "Lars Nilsen, private secretary to the ambassador from Corona."

"Nilsen…" Elsa said slowly, "and you're from Corona?"

"Yes, but my parents were originally from Arendelle," he replied.

"They left before he was born," Frederick added, desiring to be helpful, "and his father died before he was born, and he's been asking around seeing if anyone around here remembers them."

"Fred, I don't think she needs to know all that," Inga cut in. Her brother glared at her for using the nickname.

"Your mother was Margit Nilsen?" Elsa asked, ignoring her niece's interruption.

"Yes," Lars' jaw dropped in surprise, "I wouldn't have expected… she only ever says good things about you, but I had no idea you would remember her."

"I…" Elsa paused when she caught Inga staring at her. "I hope she's doing well."

Elsa quickly turned her attention to the nanny bringing over the younger children from the garden.

"What was that?" Inga whispered to Frederick, who simply shrugged and followed his aunt.


	12. A Family Dinner

There was a knock at the door. "Yes?" Anna asked groggily. She had fallen asleep after lunch, and the sun coming in told her it was late afternoon.

"Can I come in?" Elsa asked, opening the door a little.

"Elsa! I was starting to wonder!" Anna exclaimed as Elsa opened the door the rest of the way.

Elsa left the door open, and quickly made her way to the edge of her sister's bed and sat down.

"When did you get here?" Anna asked.

"About an hour ago. How are you doing?" Elsa asked, putting her hand on Anna's.

"I'm ready to get back to normal. Or, well, close enough to normal. I'm not sleeping as it is, so that won't make a difference," Anna laughed.

Her sister frowned a little. "Really?"

"I'm fine," Anna sighed. "Now, can we talk about something else?"

Elsa looked at her sternly for a moment, then softened. "Fred has grown again, hasn't he?"

"I think they're all going to end up taller than me," Anna smirked. "Though I feel bad for Inga, she keeps worrying that she's still growing, but I'm pretty sure she's barely grown at all since last year."

"I had always heard the nobles describing height as a good feature in a wife," Elsa teased.

"I don't remember hearing that," Anna glared at her. "Anyway, don't go teasing Inga about it. She's gotten it into her head that she's destined to be married off, and then that idiot ambassador from Corona makes the invitation to their coronation sound like it's for matchmaking…"

"What? That's absurd."

Anna shifted herself over to sit next to her sister. "The young man, whatever his name is, the kids will tell you, he seemed to think the ambassador wildly misrepresented the whole thing."

"That's good," Elsa mumbled, stopping to think. "I believe I met him right after I got here this afternoon, the private secretary? I take it you haven't met him, then?"

"No, but everyone else has. It almost feels like I know him already, from all their talk. Even Kristoff took an immediate liking to him," she smiled.

Elsa returned the smile, then looked at the clock. "Do you have any plans for dinner?"

Anna laughed. "Nothing official, you know that, but I think we can get a family dinner together in an hour. Nanny should be getting dinner to the little ones right now, but I'll find out where the others are. Does that sound good?"

"Always," Elsa smiled.

Anna rang for Gerda, who arrived a moment later. "Your Majesty?" Gerda announced as she approached the open door.

"Gerda, could you see that the small dining room is prepared for dinner? I believe that Nanny is already preparing dinner for the younger children, but could you find everyone else and let them know we'll have dinner soon?"

"Certainly," Gerda replied, "will there be anything else?"

Anna thought for a moment, glancing at her sister.

"Oh, I'm fine," Elsa assured them.

"Very well, then," Gerda responded as she left the room.

"Oh! I heard you got here today!" Kristoff nearly shouted as he came into the room, narrowly missing Gerda on her way out. He gave Elsa a hug, then went around and sat on the other side of the bed to take off his boots.

"We're going to have dinner soon, in the small dining room," Anna told him. "Gerda just went off to find the older children."

"She's in luck," he laughed. "I just left them in the courtyard, so she might actually find them all. Their friend just had to leave because he'll be having some kind of dinner with the ambassadors and a few other colleagues."

"I suppose I'll meet him at some point," Anna smirked. "Even Elsa has met him by now, though Olaf told me he only spoke to him once and the poor man hasn't gotten over the scare."

Elsa smiled. "Anna, are you going to change for dinner? Would you like me to get anything for you?"

"The dress over there," Anna requested, as her sister walked across the room, "No, the one to the left. Thank you!" Elsa laid the dress carefully on the bed. Kristoff was already helping Anna untie some laces on the gown she already had on.

"I think I'll go find Kai," Elsa told them. "I was thinking of something I wanted to ask him."

"See you at dinner," Anna waved cheerfully as Elsa left the room.

Elsa gently closed the door behind her and walked down the hall, briskly but calmly.

"Kai, there you are!" Elsa proclaimed happily as he was emerging from the room where the visiting dignitaries and their staff were having dinner.

"Ah, Elsa," he smiled.

"How are those dignitaries doing in there on their own?" Elsa asked with a smirk, glancing at the door he had just closed behind him.

"There are discussions, but nothing of particular interest," Kai replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I assume you're familiar by now with the new ambassador from Corona?"

"Ah," Kai chuckled lightly, "the one who believes he was slighted at a party when he was stationed here ten years ago. Yes, I'm familiar with him."

"I… I hadn't heard about that."

"Your sister was not in attendance," he replied dryly.

"Hm," Elsa nodded, "If she wasn't there, she had a good reason, I'm sure."

Kai nodded in agreement.

Elsa took a slow breath. "So, I actually wanted to ask you about the young man, the ambassador's secretary?"

"Mr. Nilsen?" Kai asked vaguely, "I've spoken with him a few times. Was there anything in particular?"

"Did you know that his mother is Margit Nilsen?"

"That…" Kai stuttered, and continued quietly, "that is something I was not aware of, but it… makes sense."

"Do you think-" Elsa paused as she saw a servant emerge from the dignitary's dining room. "Thank you, Kai," she announced in a slightly louder voice. "The family will be eating in the small dining room tonight. Good evening."

Kai bowed slightly as Elsa walked toward the dining room, and he turned his attention to the servant standing by the door.

Elsa continued on her way to the dining room. Inga was already there, sitting quietly staring out the window. She looked at Elsa as she walked in, and she seemed ready to ask a question when the twins ran in and argued loudly about who got to sit where. Frederick arrived more quietly than his brothers, but was still quite emphatic about being hungry, and wondering when Mother and Father would get there so they could go ahead and eat. He was certain he had been there a half hour by the time they arrived. Elsa glanced at the clock, and noticed that it had only been an extra five minutes, but kept silent.

Once dinner began, Elsa listened to competing stories from Anton and Peder over their latest antics and adventures. Inga answered her aunt's questions about her studies and what she had most recently been reading, as she didn't seem interested in talking about much else. Frederick did his best to prove to the adults that he had, in fact, done some studying this week. Sofia had seen Gerda walking down the hall looking for her older siblings, and the girl decided that she wanted to eat with them rather than be made to have the dinner Nanny was serving. She was welcomed to join in, even though she did her best to butt in to every conversation topic.

After dinner, there was some discussion of playing games in the library, but Anna was feeling tired, and so she wished everyone good night, and Kristoff went with her back to their room, planning to stop by the nursery to wish the youngest two a good night. Frederick insisted that the rest of them go to the library and play a game. Olaf was excited to play, and Elsa decided that she would come along, since they all wanted her to play, too.

After an hour, Sofia was starting to doze off, so Elsa excused herself and walked with her to the nursery. Nanny was watching the two little ones sleep as she sat reading next to a small lamp. Sofia protested a little at having to go to bed, but gave in fairly quickly. Elsa wished her a good night, and wished Nanny a good night as well.

Elsa walked toward the library, and heard the older children laughing at something Olaf was doing. She silently debated going in or not, and ultimately walked on, deciding that she should get to sleep on the early side, just in case. She found Gerda, and made sure that she would be alerted if anything changed. Gerda assured her that she would come get her right away if she heard anything from her sister, so Elsa went to her room and straight to bed.

When Elsa fell asleep that night, her dreams were scattered and felt anything but restful.

"_Oh, thank goodness you arrived so quickly," Gerda gasped, rushing into the courtyard, "the doctor said the danger has passed, and the babies are with the wetnurse."_

"_Wetnurse? What wetnurse?" _

"_Anna is resting now, and I hope Kristoff is, too," Gerda told her as they rushed upstairs to the bedroom. The doctor was packing up his bag. Anna was on the bed, asleep and very pale. Kristoff had passed out in the chair next to the bed. Elsa made the mistake of asking the doctor what had happened, and got much more medical detail than she had wanted. She stayed after the doctor had left, fitfully alternating between sitting by the bed and walking around the room, trying to stay quiet. She thought she heard something outside the door, and opened it to find little Inga sitting there quietly. Kristoff was starting to wake up when she got back inside, so she ordered him to go out and see his daughter. _

The other dreams weren't much better, but at least she could quickly separate them from reality when she woke up. Elsa got up a few times during the night to look out at the sky. It was starting to be truly dark again in the middle of the night. She reminded herself that she had arrived early this time, and that they were being careful this time, though she wondered. There was a lot to wonder about, but there was no point in thinking about too many of them at once. She went back to bed and tried to sleep some more.

She had no idea how long she'd been asleep when there was a knock at the door. She walked over and opened it. Gerda was standing there in her nightgown and robe, and calmly told her it was time. No one else in the castle was awake aside from them, and the doctor was on his way.

Anna was standing holding a bedpost with her back toward the door when Elsa came into the room. Kristoff was next to her, looking more groggy than anything.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Elsa attempted to joke. Kristoff turned around and rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh! Good!" Anna exclaimed, breathing heavily, turning a little to see her. "I hope you don't mind that I had Gerda wake you up."

"No, no, that's fine," Elsa told her, coming to take her hand. "I had asked her to come get me."

The doctor arrived, and Anna sat back down on the bed. Elsa led Kristoff over to the window while the doctor performed his examination.

"How is she, Kristoff?" Elsa whispered. "Be honest."

"She's been fine. Believe me, I'd tell you if I didn't think so."

"Good," she sighed in relief. "I don't need to tell you…"

Kristoff nodded, glancing over to the bed. The doctor waved them over.

"I think it will be soon," he told them cheerfully.


	13. Fair Winds

The announcements were sent out first thing in the morning: _"Her Majesty, Queen Anna of Arendelle was safely delivered of a princess. Her Majesty and the infant princess are both doing well." _

Lars sat at the desk in his room, looking at his stack of correspondence, including his copy of the official announcement. He was thankful that he still had a week or so before he would need to be on duty, though he suspected Mr. Meyer would want to meet with him soon to review anything important. His brother's ship was to arrive in the next day or two.

He had received a letter from Elizabeth excitedly telling him of her earlier arrival, and she mentioned that her father had been most mysterious about their itinerary.

There was also a letter from his mother. He saw the date, and it looked likely that his mother had received his last letter. He read further.

_Dearest Lars,_

_I'm so happy to hear that you are being well treated there. The current queen was always quite friendly, though I understand that you haven't personally met her. The children sound delightful. I never realized that you didn't believe my stories, though I never saw the trolls myself. I do remember the snowman. He was quite kind and friendly, once you got used to him... _

Lars supposed there might not be much more that she would know about the snowman, as she called him. The rest of her letter was talking about the upcoming coronations of the young prince and princess in Corona, all of which was information he knew through official sources.

Of course, now he had so many more questions for his mother. Perhaps the former queen was being polite, and simply had a good memory for names. Could she have actually known his mother? He couldn't figure out how that could be. His mother had never worked in the castle, as far as he knew. She had told him that very few people could even enter the castle in her younger days, let alone work there.

He stared blankly out the window. Outside he could see some of the fjord and the path he had taken rides on the previous week, and realized that an advantage of the ambassador's room with the view of the town was that he could see the ships coming into the harbor. As lovely as the fjord and the mountains were, Lars now wished he could keep watch for the Corona naval ship from the privacy of his own room.

It was nearly lunchtime. Lars decided to walk into town. Perhaps Halima would be able to tell him more, but at least he would have a better view of the harbor. The castle was mostly quiet, though he thought he could hear the new baby from the direction of the royal family's rooms. He would do his best to leave them alone today.

The townspeople were happily bustling. It seemed that all the gossip focused on the new baby. Names were discussed, but there seemed to be no consensus. Most of the family names had been used up on the older children, he heard one shopkeeper say. A young man suggested forming a betting pool, which several men and women in the vicinity agreed to. Lars decided to move along quickly.

He decided to walk along the harbor before sitting down for lunch, admitting to himself he enjoyed picking up bits and pieces of the day's gossip. He hadn't bothered looking closely at any of the ships. Suddenly, he felt a shove from behind. He turned around to see a young man in a Corona naval uniform laughing at him.

"Karl!" Lars exclaimed. "I hardly recognized you! What are you doing here so soon?"

"We had favorable winds," his brother informed him, giving a forceful hug. "We could hardly believe it ourselves, but here we are!"

"And everyone is well?" Lars asked, his hands on his brother's shoulders, looking up at him. He had always hoped he would have caught up in height by now, but at the age of twenty, he was resigned to forever being a few inches shorter.

"Yes," his brother teased, "and I know you've been getting letters from Mother just as often as I have, and I don't think you really care about the Captain except for a basic assurance that he's in good health."

Lars took a step back and looked around eagerly, afraid that he might have walked right past his own fiancee.

"No, no," Karl laughed, firmly grabbing his younger brother's arm, "she's taking her time getting ready. But I think that's a good thing, don't you?"

Lars gave an embarrassed smile.

"As for yourself," his brother scoffed, "what happened to your face?'

"What? Nothing!" Lars put his hand to his face and remembered that his brother hadn't seen him since he'd decided to grow the mustache. "Oh, this. Do you think she'll hate it?"

"Well…" Karl hesitated. "We'll leave that up to her."

Lars spotted her first. It was hard to miss the billowing skirts so out of place on a naval vessel. He tried to look calm as he walked as quickly as he could over to the gangway. Captain von der Decken assisted his eldest daughter down to the harbor walk. The captain was somewhat taller than Lars's brother, the lieutenant, but Elizabeth herself barely came up to her father's shoulder. Lars stood nervously, thinking how her hair in the late morning sun had a slightly different shade of brown from the lock she had given him before him before he left. He tried not to smile too much at her or look too frightened of her father.

"Captain," he stammered as Elizabeth stood in front of him, nearly giggling.

"Mr. Nilsen," the Captain greeted him, "a very fine morning, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir," Lars replied, attempting to sound calm.

"I'm glad to see my Lieutenant found you so quickly," the Captain smiled, "or I think my daughter would have been rather disappointed."

Lars and Elizabeth looked at each other, both feeling as if they needed her father's permission to begin a conversation.

"Captain," Lieutenant Nilsen spoke up, winking at his brother, "I believe we have some business to take care of back on board the ship?"

"Yes, thank you lieutenant," the Captain replied, giving a sly look to Lars that made him feel somewhat exposed. "Elizabeth, I trust you will be fine on your own?" 

"Yes, Father," she grinned, "thank you."

Lars quietly grabbed Elizabeth's hands as he watched his brother and the Captain walk back onto the ship.

"Good morning," he smiled awkwardly, wishing he could think of something more interesting to say to her.

"So," she said, looking up at the town, "tell me where we should go."

"Have you eaten?" he asked awkwardly. "I was on my way to find some lunch."

"That does sound lovely," she smiled, taking his arm tightly in both hands as they walked up to the market square, getting as close to him as her skirt would gracefully allow.

They walked quietly through the square as people went around their business. The conversations hadn't changed since he had walked through earlier, still discussing the newest princess. The wagers over the name had gotten more organized, though, and he noticed someone had brought out an old plank and some chalk and listed possibilities with betting odds next to each name. A man went over and wrote down "Hanna," which someone had just suggested. Lars laughed.

"They won't use that one," he whispered to Elizabeth as they continued walking.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked, looking up at him.

"The oldest princess is already named Anna," he told her.

Elizabeth gave him a confused look. "I thought in your letters you said her name was Inga? Or is she not the oldest one?"

"Well, that's what everyone in the family calls her," he replied, "but that's actually one of ther middle names. I guess they don't want her being confused with the Queen."

Elizabeth looked up at him with a teasing smirk. "When you said you were being treated well by the royal family, I assumed you just meant they gave you a nice room and good food, not that you were on familiar terms with them."

"Well, they're... very friendly," he stammered. "And they really are on rather familiar terms with the whole kingdom." Though he had to admit to himself that he hadn't seen any of them on quite as familiar terms as they had been with him with anyone besides the General. But it wasn't a lie. They weren't distant or cut off from the town at all. Not anymore, at least.

They walked on for a bit, her hands still holding his arm. Elizabeth stopped in front of a statue.

"Who are they?" she gestured up at the statue, trying to read the plaque at the bottom. She had learned to understand some of the language from her time spent listening to Lars and his mother when she visited their home back when in Corona, but reading it was another matter.

"Those are the Queen's parents, as children," he explained.

"Oh? The girl in pants?" Elizabeth asked.

"That's typical for the Northuldra, I've heard. That's where the Queen's mother came from. They live to the north of Arendelle," he clarified. It was easy for him to forget how many of the details of geography and politics that he had learned in the diplomatic school that Elizabeth would not have been taught at her finishing school. He was thankful that her parents had at least sent her to a school that expected some academic accomplishments and not simply how to dress fashionably, and since her mother had grown up working in the back of her own father's shop, Lars was fairly certain that when it came to bookkeeping and accounting, Elizabeth had learned more than he ever would.

He didn't plan on ever being poor, but he didn't want to depend too much on the good graces of the aristocracy. His own mother had been lucky. She didn't like to speak about how close they had come to abject poverty, but he had pieced that much together from her stories over the years.

They stood at the base of the statue, looking at the people walking around. She slid her hand into his and intertwined their fingers.

"It's strange," she mused. "This is a smaller town with fewer people, and yet, I feel like we have so much less privacy than back home."

Lars was surprised by her statement. "Really?"

"I don't know," she replied, looking away. "Maybe it's just standing in the middle of everyone here. You were going to take me somewhere to get lunch?"

"Ah, yes, right this way!" He led her across the Square.

"Lars!" Halima greeted him at the door, "did you manage to find anything more about your family?"

"Um, I may have," he mumbled. He noticed Halima was looking at Elizabeth curiously. "This is Elizabeth. She just arrived on her father's ship from Corona."

"Pleased to meet you," Halima said, shaking Elizabeth's hand.

"Likewise," Elizabeth smiled, moving her left hand to Lars's elbow in a way that showed off her ring. The gesture was not lost on Halima.

"That's a beautiful ring," she said, looking at Elizabeth's hand, then glancing up at Lars.

"Lars gave it to me," Elizabeth smiled shyly.

"We got engaged just before I left Corona," he added. Elizabeth visibly relaxed.

"Oh, you're the one Frederick mentioned," Halima laughed, "or at least, that's what Meibel told me when that boy was here a day or two ago." Halima paused and looked around. "Where is she? I didn't think they had school today. Destin?"

Lars hadn't noticed that the General was sitting in the corner. "She came with me to visit the castle this morning, and I gave her permission to stay there so long as she doesn't cause trouble for anyone."

"Ah," Halima sighed, "I really don't think the baby should be having so many visitors this soon."

"I wouldn't worry, and Meibel only looked in briefly. You know they don't mind her visiting."

Elizabeth and Lars stood awkwardly listening to Halima and the General's conversation. Lars glanced around and noticed a small table in an empty corner.

"Is anyone using that table?" He asked, gesturing at the table.

"Not that I'm aware of," Halima told him, smiling, "and you might like some privacy to catch up."


	14. Engagements and Familiarities

Inga was up and dressed early. It was Saturday, and it had rained most of the past week, so she hadn't gotten outside. With the new baby, she hadn't seen anyone outside her family. The next Thursday would be her birthday, but no one had said anything. Her thoughts had been all over the place the past few days. She needed to focus, but along with everything else, her aunt had behaved strangely when she was introduced to Lars. Inga tried to remind herself that people sometimes remembered names for no particular reason, and Elsa had been in a position to know a lot of people.

Inga hadn't had time to speak to her alone. Elsa had been quite tired after the first night, and Inga had been busy making sure that they didn't fall behind on her mother's correspondence, especially since the responses to the birth announcement were starting to arrive. Those needed replies. Answering the letters gave her something to do, especially since she had the feeling her tutors were running out of ideas for her. She had nearly finished Euclid, and it was fairly obvious none of her tutors understood the books that Elsa had given her.

She decided to go down to the kitchen to get herself breakfast; it would force her to do something other than think. She knew one thing for certain: she needed to get away. Her invitation to the coronation in Corona might have been a clumsy attempt by the ambassador at matchmaking, but it would allow her a change of scenery, even if that kingdom was the source of most of the thoughts she was trying to escape. She didn't get many invitations, in fact she couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten one, so she might as well take advantage of this one.

She had also made it clear when she was speaking to her parents the week before that she would want Frederick to come along with her if she went. Even with the possible international incidents she could imagine him causing on such a trip, she would like a familiar face. She wasn't used to traveling. Her family would travel up to visit the Northuldra every year or two, and they would visit the trolls a few times a year, but they nearly always avoided traveling by boat.

"Good morning!" Lars greeted her cheerfully, standing next to the door she had just entered.

"Oh!" Inga exclaimed, "I had no idea anyone would be in here this early!" She had been lost in thought when she entered the kitchen, and hadn't seen him standing there.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he apologized.

"No, I wasn't paying any attention," she explained as she felt herself begin to flush. She hadn't really seen him since her aunt's arrival, and it had been nearly a week.

She grabbed a loaf of bread and sliced herself a large piece, then fumbled for the butter and jam in the pantry cupboard. She noticed that Lars was holding a tray with a breakfast set out.

"Is that your breakfast?" she asked, quickly realizing what he had arranged on the tray was obviously not for himself.

"No. I was actually about to take this up to surprise Elizabeth."

"I hadn't realized she was staying at the castle," Inga declared in surprise. In fact, she hadn't quite been aware that the ship from the Corona navy had already arrived.

"Yes," he replied, moving to rest the breakfast tray slightly on the counter next to him. "I was showing her around the day she arrived, and we ran into Kai, who insisted on going to get Gerda to make up a spare room for her so she wouldn't have to stay on the ship."

"That was very thoughtful of them, I suppose." Inga couldn't remember seeing any unfamiliar faces, but she had been rather preoccupied. "But isn't it… I mean, didn't her father… that is… your brother and her father, you mentioned they were also coming, weren't they offered rooms?"

"They're naval officers. They're used to staying on the ship." Lars picked the tray back up from the counter, and started out the door. "I was wondering, perhaps a little later… sorry, I don't want to be presumptive…"

"About what?"

"Elizabeth would like to see more of the castle, and I don't really know very much about it, and the ambassador wants to meet with me at nine this morning..."

"I would be happy to show her around, if that's what you're asking," she offered, now feeling a bit calmer.

"Wonderful! Where should we meet?"

"Perhaps the gallery?"

"That sounds perfect," Lars told her, carefully pushing open the kitchen door with his back as he carried the tray.

"When?" Inga called out as the door swung behind him.

"Eight thirty!" he shouted from the hall.

Inga checked the clock in the corner of the kitchen. It was seven fifteen. She finished her bread and jam and decided to make herself some coffee.

She drank her coffee standing in the middle of the kitchen. No one else seemed to be up, except for a few servants. It was seven thirty. She needed something to distract herself, so she walked up to the library. She grabbed a book, opened it without really looking at anything, and put it right back on the shelf.

She sat down and got up from several different sofas and chairs in the room. She decided to walk to the study to see if there were any more letters she had missed. The official invitation to the event in Corona was sitting there. She picked up a piece of paper and began to reply. She wasn't sure if she would be expected to have a chaperone. Would she need to say so in her reply, or would they just assume she would bring people with her? She checked the drawer where she knew old replies to their events were stored. Nobody specified anything. She wrote out a quick reply that they would be accepting the invitation, and sealed and addressed it.

She looked at the clock, and it was still only eight. She decided to slowly walk down the corridor toward the gallery. As she got closer, she noticed that one of the long curtains was closed. The rest were tied open the way the servants always prepared the hallway first thing in the morning.

She heard some whispering, and a hushed giggle. She couldn't decide if she should turn around quietly or announce her presence. She didn't need to decide, since less than a minute later a servant entered the hall from the other direction and moved to fix the curtain.

"I beg your pardon!" The servant exclaimed, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, we were just…" a girl's voice stammered.

"We were... enjoying the view," Inga heard Lars quickly improvise. "Please, don't let us get in your way. We'll be going now."

Inga backed up so she could pretend she had just entered the hallway when they emerged. She made eye contact with the servant and put her finger over her mouth. The servant quietly nodded back at her.

Inga opened the door she had come through a minute before, and peeked out, waiting for Lars and the girl she assumed was Elizabeth.

Inga saw the servant back up a step to let the couple emerge from behind the curtain, both looking very red. The servant quickly moved in to restore the curtain to its proper position. Their backs were turned, so she decided to back up and push the door open very loudly so that it slammed.

Lars and the girl simultaneously turned around at the noise. The servant was just leaving, and gave Inga a formal bow before exiting.

"Oh, sorry, I always push too hard on that door," Inga lied.

"Ah, Elizabeth, let me introduce you to the princess." Lars spoke quickly, gesturing to Inga. Elizabeth instinctively curtseyed.

"You can call me Inga," she told her, moving to shake the young woman's hand. She wasn't much taller than her mother, Inga noticed, but she had shiny brown hair that made her look almost like the dolls they would sometimes receive from the fashion houses in Paris.

"Just Inga? Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, please," Inga insisted. Elizabeth looked uncomfortable. "So, you're Elizabeth. Lars has told us so much about you."

Elizabeth smiled and visibly relaxed. "He's told us about all of you, in his letters."

"Oh, really?" Inga laughed. "I'm not sure what to think about that. I usually only know about the official statements about me."

"All good things, I assure you," Elizabeth smiled.

"So, should we visit the painting gallery?" Lars asked, looking toward the far door.

"Indeed," Inga replied, beginning to walk ahead. Lars and Elizabeth followed her, arm in arm. When she opened the door to the gallery, she held it for them, trying not to stare.

Elizabeth seemed duly impressed with the gallery, and, compared to some past visitors that Inga had overheard touring the castle, the young woman made no comments to the effect of "almost as grand as…" or "it reminds me of the small gallery in…" or "It's surprising you have this all the way out here," so Inga was inclined to like her. Elizabeth recognized some of the styles, and asked Inga about some unfamiliar pictures, and the princess was more than eager to share her knowledge.

They heard the clock strike nine.

"I'm sorry," Lars told them. "I'm supposed to meet with the ambassador right now!"

He gave Elizabeth a kiss on the cheek, and quickly walked away, leaving Elizabeth and Inga standing in the gallery.

Elizabeth began to walk around slowly, admiring the paintings some more. Inga wasn't sure whether she should tell her more about them without being asked, or if Elizabeth would just like to look around at her own pace.

Elizabeth stopped in front of a portrait. It was the oldest one that included her father. She realized she had never seen any pictures of him when he was younger than that, and had never thought to ask, though she felt fairly certain that none existed. Her mother and aunt looked younger, but not drastically so. It was odd seeing her father with no beard. She vaguely remembered him looking like that when she was young.

"Inga," Elizabeth asked as she walked over, "Lars told me about the reindeer. Can you show them to me?"

"Um, sure," Inga replied, walking quickly toward the far door, with Elizabeth doing her best to keep up. Inga slowed down a little, realizing her legs were longer, and perhaps it would be polite to keep an easier pace.

They walked over to the stairs, and down to a side door to the courtyard. Inga felt the silence as they emerged outside.

"So," Inga chirped awkwardly, trying to sound congenial, "your father is a naval captain?"

"Yes," Elizabeth replied shyly.

"It sounds very interesting," Inga prompted. "Does he tell you any stories?"

"No great battles or anything like that," Elizabeth admitted, "though Mother definitely thinks that's a good thing. Wars are bad for business, as her father says."

"I suppose that's true," sighed Inga, trying to remember that phrase for later use. "What does your grandfather do, then?"

"My mother's father is a textile merchant. My father's family was quite against the marriage with my mother, and to be honest, her family was quite against the marriage before they met Father. Thankfully, that's all in the past, and Lars has a good, respectable career. Nobody has asked about his mother's family, at least, none of my family has. I know Lars worries about the questions the ambassador asks him, but the ambassador doesn't have a say in who I marry, does he? My father is impressed enough with his brother Karl's rise through the ranks that he's not about to object to my marrying his brother."

They had been walking slowly, but by the time Elizabeth had finished answering Inga's question, they had arrived at the stables.

Inga was slowly processing everything Elizabeth had told her. "What objection did your mother's family have to her marrying your father? I hope it's not an impertinent question."

"Oh, not at all," Elizabeth replied, clearly happy to keep talking. "Father's family was almost bankrupt, and Mother's family assumed he was a fortune seeker. Really, Father was just happy he could afford to marry before he was forty, but it does sound a bit like something out of a novel, doesn't it? Poor gentility getting bailed out by the rich merchant's daughter?"

"I… suppose so?" Inga realized that perhaps she should take a break from only reading what her tutors assigned her, at least once in a while. They had been standing outside the stables for what seemed like several minutes. "Right. We're at the stables now. The horses are on one side, the reindeer get the other side." Inga couldn't remember the last time she'd been here this early. Aside from their brief ride the week before, she had hardly gone out that summer. She needed to make a point of getting some exercise. Her brothers certainly did.

As Inga opened the stable door, Elizabeth gave a slight squeal which she quickly tried to suppress. "Oh! Lars says they're friendly, but are they, really?"

"Oh, they're quite friendly, as long as you're nice to them," Inga explained. "This is Samantha."

"Can she come outside?"

"I don't usually take her out this early." She tried to think when the last time she had taken Samantha out at all, early or not. The reindeer all got out together, but she had taken no time out of her day, even after the occasional horseback riding lesson. During the spring she had gotten it into her head to learn to ride sidesaddle, which had taken up more time than it should have. Her parents questioned why she would want to, but they didn't press the point, and let her try it out.

"I suppose they need their rest, then?" Elizabeth inquired.

"Not really," Inga said, stroking the reindeer's nose. "Let's take her on a walk. Sometimes I ride her, but you're definitely not dressed for it." She led Samantha out the door, and Elizabeth followed close behind her.

"Should that one be getting out?" Elizabeth asked with some alarm.

"That's Sven. He does what he likes," Inga shrugged.

They began simply walking a circle around the courtyard, mostly because Inga wasn't sure how much walking Elizabeth really wanted to do, and also because she wasn't sure if Samantha had forgiven her for her recent neglect. Sven seemed like he wanted to ask her something, but she wasn't any good at figuring that out.

"You can just go inside," she told him, "I don't think anyone will mind."

He snorted and walked toward the castle.

"He's well behaved," Elizabeth remarked.

"You think so?" Inga replied with some hesitation.

"Well, I guess I'm only used to horses," Elizabeth mused.

"Do you ride, then?"

"Yes," she sighed, "but of course, I'm not here for a year or more like Lars, so my horse is back in Corona with Mother and my sisters. Do you ride? You do, don't you?"

"I do," Inga replied, "but I've been torturing myself recently because I decided I needed to ride sidesaddle. My mother thinks it's silly, and I should just wear proper riding clothes and not what fashion catalogues call riding habits. I won't even get into what my father says about it."

"I've only ever ridden sidesaddle," Elizabeth confessed. "I don't know if I'd feel comfortable astride, and I certainly can't imagine my parents approving."

"I suppose it's different in Corona." Inga found it odd that Elizabeth's father would approve of his daughter staying alone in a strange place, but would frown on wearing pants for riding.

"Not everyone," Elizabeth corrected. "But my mother is rather insistent about her daughters not being like the ladies who go around dressed that way. And my father agrees."

"Have you been having a pleasant time here?" Inga asked to change the subject. "I know you've been here a week now. I hope you haven't felt neglected, and the weather hasn't been very nice."

"It's been lovely," Elizabeth gushed. "Lars has shown me around the town, and when the rain has let up we've gone for some walks in the countryside, since I don't have my horse here. Sometimes Father and Lieutenant Nilsen have joined us, when they're not too busy on the ship."

"Lieutenant Nilsen?"

"Oh, that's Lars's brother, Karl. But it's hard for me to call him anything but Lieutenant Nilsen."

"What is he like?"

"Very different from his brother," Elizabeth told her. "But they get on splendidly, even if they sometimes tease each other terribly."

"That's normal enough," Inga laughed. Samantha snorted approvingly. "I don't suppose you want to see the garden. It's finally nice weather again."

"I haven't seen that," Elizabeth admitted, "so I'd like that very much."


	15. Name Day

The christening of the Princess Linne Karin Doris happened with as little disruption as could be expected when the central participant was under two weeks old. Several of the Northuldra had come down to Arendelle for the occasion, and presented the newest princess with the customary baby reindeer, which Sofia begged to name. Marie suddenly decided that she wanted to participate in picking a name, but Sofia disliked all of her little sister's suggestions and the two began arguing. Inga quietly moved in to distract them by pointing out who different visitors were. Sofia remembered Honeymaren and her brother Ryder, and didn't quite remember Yelena, but then remembered having done something wrong and being scolded on their last visit. Marie had barely been three years old the last time the family had visited the forest, and everyone was new to her, even if they all remembered her.

Thanks to the good weather, the lunch that followed the christening was held in the castle courtyard. The family were all sitting at one long table near the center. Frederick, as usual, ate more than anyone else, though the twins seemed to be catching up in their appetites. Nanny sat between Marie and her little brother Karl and tried to keep him sitting still while trying to coax Marie to eat a few bites. Sofia ate all of her potatoes, then complained about the rest of the food, and absolutely refused to touch any of her salad. Both she and Marie asked when they could have some cake, and Nanny reminded them to wait for everyone else. Inga sat across the table from Frederick. Her father was sitting next to her holding the baby so her mother would have a chance to eat. Her aunt and the visiting Northuldra were at the other end of the table.

Inga ate dutifully, looking around the courtyard in silence. Her father was obviously tired and distracted, and wasn't going to provide very much conversation while he focused on the baby. Frederick was no use to anyone while he was eating. The twins appeared to be finishing their entire servings, too, rather than leaving half their food when they got up to play, so Frederick's usual trick of sneaking a few more bites from their plates wouldn't work.

At the table next to them sat the General and his wife Halima, their ward Meibel, and three of their older wards, Kate, Edith, and Isabel. Isabel, the oldest, would no longer be a ward in a month's time when she turned twenty-one. She was engaged to be married to the captain of the Castle Guards, and the wedding would happen shortly after her birthday. The General approved of the marriage on the condition that they waited til she was fully of age.

Captain Olsen was making a point of walking past their table while making his rounds during the meal, and Isabel was very distracted. Kate and Edith were getting to know Elizabeth, while the General was enjoying talking to her father and the Lieutenant. Halima seemed to be making conversation with Lars, who seemed to be avoiding direct answers, and otherwise seemed to be splitting his attention between his fiancee and his brother.

When Inga had finished her food, she offered to take the baby so that her father could eat. Her mother was eating very slowly, stopping to say something to Elsa every few bites. Inga stood up and took Baby Linne from her father, intending to walk over to her mother and aunt and listen in on their conversation, but she noticed Edith waving her over. Kate and Edith were almost the same age as Inga, and had been living with the General and his wife for over ten years. Her mother always encouraged her to play with children outside the castle, but while they were friendly, and often played together with Inga when they were younger, she had never become close with them.

"Inga!" exclaimed Edith as Inga approached their table. "Can we look at the baby?"

"You can look but not hold ," Inga replied softly, since the baby was sleeping. "The doctor told us we shouldn't let too many people hold the baby just yet."

"Oh, fine," grumbled Kate, scooting in close.

Edith leaned forward across the table and tried to get Elizabeth's attention. "Elizabeth! You told us you hadn't seen the baby yet, and here she is!"

Elizabeth stood up and walked over to Inga, smiling at the baby without getting too close. "She's lovely," she whispered. "And Inga, you didn't tell me your birthday was so soon! Edith and Kate were just telling me that it's in a few days, and it seems you aren't even having a party? I know seventeen isn't that big of a birthday, but it seems like you should have something. I used to have a party every year, though my eighteenth birthday was the biggest party, of course. I gather that twenty-one is when you're considered old enough to marry here? I suppose it's just as well that Lars and I can't get married yet, since he won't be of age until the spring, and it'll be another year after that for me."

"Well, actually…" Inga paused to move Baby Linne to her other side before her arm fell asleep. "Plenty of people around here get married before they're twenty-one. But it's… complicated. I mean, I could tell you all the details and rules, but it would probably be an incredibly boring conversation."

"Oh," Elizabeth sighed. "Well, of course, I'd still want time to get my mother and my sisters here, no matter the age requirements. It's a pity they couldn't come with me this time, and Mrs. Nilsen, of course. Then we'd have all our family here, and, you know…"

Inga noticed that her mother had finished eating. "Oh, sorry. You'll have to excuse me, I think my mother wants the baby back now."

After mild protests by Edith and Kate, and sincere thanks for the chance to meet the baby from Elizabeth, Inga returned her baby sister to her mother, who was having an animated conversation with Elsa. The servants appeared eager to remove the rest of the plates. Most of the townspeople attending the meal had begun clustering near the cake, trying not to look too obvious about waiting for a piece, and the dignitaries and council members were forming small clusters elsewhere around the courtyard, trying not to look too obvious about their discussions.

Meibel had gone to say hi to Fred, and then went to find Sofia while they waited for cake. Elizabeth walked over to Inga.

"I hope I didn't overstep, talking about needing to have a birthday party," she apologized.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry," Inga began almost rambling. "My mother said she wanted Linne back once she was finished eating, I hope I didn't appear rude."

Elizabeth shook her head and smiled a bit. She appeared to be rather conscious of standing so close to the Queen.

"Are you waiting for cake?" Inga asked quietly. "I don't know how hungry you are after that meal, but with everyone crowding around waiting, it can be hard to talk. The secret is, there's usually extra cake in the kitchen, so if you'd like a taste, we can go there."

"Oh, um, yes, thank you," Elizabeth smiled.

The two walked to the kitchen, where Inga found one of the extra cakes. It had already been cut into, and she sliced off a piece for Elizabeth and another for herself.

"Goodness, thank you," gushed Elizabeth upon receiving the plate.

"You're welcome," Inga replied. "We can go outside to eat. I don't think anyone will notice if we've already got our own cake."

They sat on a bench in a quiet corner of the courtyard and slowly enjoyed the cake. The official cake was being served, first to the children, and Kristoff had brought a slice over to Anna, who was sitting on a bench under a tree holding the baby, with Elsa sitting next to her, and Yelena and Honeymaren were sitting on the ground next to them. Ryder had gone off to visit the reindeer in the stables.

"It's nice that your mother is so involved," Elizabeth quietly mused as she looked at the Queen holding the baby. "It seems like so many queens have their babies and give them straight away to a wetnurse, and then a nanny…"

"Oh, well," Inga hemmed, "we do have a nanny, and the twins had a wetnurse. Of course, she was ill for a long time after they were born."

"I didn't mean…" Elizabeth apologized. "That is, of course, sometimes it's necessary to have a wetnurse, and I certainly don't know how someone would be able to carry out royal duties without a nanny."

"No, I understand what you mean," Inga assured her. "I know that Mama always feels a little guilty about it, which is too bad."

Elizabeth looked over at Lars across the courtyard, talking to his brother and the Captain. "Mrs. Nilsen, Lars's mother, you know... she reminded me once not to judge. She used to be a wetnurse, a while ago."

"I had no idea," she remarked. "Lars never mentioned his mother having any profession."

"Well, it's not the sort of thing people talk about in mixed company, now, is it?" Elizabeth laughed. "It was a few days after Lars left Corona. I was having tea with Mrs. Nilsen, and we were talking about babies, and I made some thoughtless comment-I guess like today-and she chided me, telling me how she had been a wetnurse, and you can't know why they've been hired."

"True," Inga sighed, looking at her mother and father.

Inga and Elizabeth had both finished their cake, so they walked back toward the crowd, and Inga took the plates and quietly set them on the corner of the nearest table. Lars was speaking with the Ambassador and the General. Elizabeth walked over and quietly took Lars's hand, and he smiled at her as he listened to the conversation between the older men.

Kai was standing nearby. "Your Highness," he greeted Inga, "did you want cake?"

"Oh," she gasped, not realizing he had been paying attention, "I'm fine, thank you."

Inga turned toward the conversation, and moved in to stand next to the General, who was listening to the Ambassador relating anecdotes of his stint in the Southern Isles. Arendelle hadn't had an ambassador positioned in the Southern Isles in twenty-one years. Officially they had diplomatic relations, but the position had remained unfilled when the ambassador at the time had taken an early retirement. The ambassador from the Southern Isles had quietly left Arendelle around the same time, and it was felt best to keep things quietly at the new status quo.

The Ambassador laughed heartily after one of his anecdotes. "Of course, the King is getting on in years now, but that time, let me tell you…"

"Excuse me, Your Excellency?" Lars interrupted, noticing the General and Inga looking uncomfortable with the story.

"What is it, Mr. Nilsen?" The Ambassador huffed, then looked over. "Oh, excuse me, Your Highness! I didn't see you standing there. Tell me, has a decision been made about the invitation to our upcoming coronation?"

"Oh, um, yes, Your Excellency," she replied, trying to remain polite to the man. "They will be receiving our official reply shortly."

"I hope it is a positive reply, Your Highness?" he hummed.

"I plan to go, Your Excellency," she informed him. "My brother, Frederick, will be coming as well. I believe we will need to arrange for a chaperone, since my parents, of course, won't be going anywhere for the next few months."

"Ah, yes, Your Highness," he smiled, "proper decorum, but I believe you will have nothing to fear in Corona. It is a very safe, respectable kingdom."

"Of course, Your Excellency," she assured him. "But my brother is only fourteen, and if I'm busy, we will need someone to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

The General laughed. "I'd volunteer to go, Inga, but I don't think Halima would let me leave for that long, and I'm fairly certain you don't want to turn it into such a large event if we took everyone."

"Oh, no!" Inga gasped, laughing a little. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was trying to rope you into coming. I wouldn't mind, of course! But I understand."

"It's too bad my father's ship is scheduled to be in Arendelle for another two months," Elizabeth commented. "Otherwise I'm sure he would be happy to chaperone. It would be very respectable for you, and he knows how to keep boys that age in line."

"Um, thank you," Inga smiled hesitantly. "I'd be a little worried about naval discipline on Frederick, though. He's used to doing what he likes, but he means well. I wouldn't want…"

"I'm sorry, Inga," Elizabeth laughed. 'I didn't mean it like that! I promise you, Father is kind, isn't he, Lars?"

"I've never heard anything bad about your father from my brother, even in private." Lars promised. "But, like you were saying, Elizabeth, I think it's a moot point. They're scheduled to be here for two months, and the coronation is next month."

"Oh, hello, Elsa!" the General interjected as he saw her approaching.

"Hello," she replied, standing on the other side of her niece. "What were you discussing?"

"The trip to Corona," Inga explained. "I sent a reply to the invitation, but I realize that I will probably need a chaperone, especially if Frederick is coming with me."

"And Elizabeth's father is stuck here in Arendelle for at least two months, so he won't be an option," Lars added, forgetting the Ambassador standing next to him, glaring at his lack of protocol.

Elsa stood thinking. "Inga, I could come with you."

"Wait, what?"


	16. Interlude

As Anna tucked the baby in the cradle next to the bed, there was a soft knock at the door.

"Mama?" Inga asked as she opened the door slightly.

"Shh!" Anna put her finger on her mouth and walked over to the door.

"Oh!" Inga whispered, "she's asleep?"

"Yes. Would you like to walk to the study with me?"

Inga nodded as her mother quietly shut the door to the bedroom. They walked silently at first. Her mother paused as they got closer to the study. This was the longest time she had been alone with her daughter since the new baby.

"You didn't tell me you replied to the invitation."

"Sorry," Inga apologized, looking down at her hands. "But it didn't seem like a good time to bother you."

"No need to apologize, in fact I'm happy you took some initiative." She took Inga's hand. "But in the future, I'd like to have some warning before being personally thanked by an ambassador for allowing my daughter to travel."

"Oh… right…" Inga's eyes widened. "Was Papa with you?"

"No," her mother laughed. "Thankfully, I got to be the one to tell him."

"Just to be clear…" Inga added hesitantly. "It's… it's not like the ambassador seems to be making it. You said so yourself. I just want a chance to go somewhere. And Aunt Elsa said she'd come along, so I'll really be just fine." Inga knew she was rambling now.

"Elsa is coming with you?" Her mother looked perplexed.

"Oh, I suppose that was after the ambassador left to talk to you…" Inga began rambling again. "I kind of lost track of everyone after that, and you know Frederick is coming, and then…"

"Frederick is coming, are you sure?"

"Yes," Inga answered as they started walking again. "He had told me he'd like to travel, remember?"

"Oh, of course. Sorry, go on."

"Where was I? Oh, Edith! Or Kate, maybe, one of them. It might have even been Isabel…" Inga shook her head. "One of them came over and started listening and pretty soon they were telling Elizabeth that if the only delay in her wedding was getting all the family together we should bring her mother and sister's and Lars's mother home from Corona with us when we go. And then Lars said he was going to be busy so perhaps Elizabeth should come with us, especially since she'd been talking about the coronation all spring and she would love to see it. And Elsa said that sounded fine, and I'm just glad that it's just Elizabeth coming along, because she really is quite nice, don't get me wrong. The other girls are quite nice, too, I don't want it getting around that I think otherwise… it's me, not them. But Elizabeth, she's interesting to talk to. And that didn't sound right, either…"

"Elsa is going to Corona with you?" Her mother repeated as they entered the study.

"Yes," Inga replied, "she volunteered right away. We had been discussing chaperones. I figured it would only make sense, since Frederick is so young."

"Of course, you're right," Anna replied absentmindedly. She sat down at the desk, and Inga sat off to the side, picking up a stack of unopened letters and beginning to sort them.

"Oh, here's one from Corona," Inga thought out loud. "Already? No, I only replied yesterday. It must be something else. Here you go, Mama."

"Thank you," Anna replied as she took the letter from her daughter. She read it silently, keeping her face as blank as she could manage, and not the confusion she felt.

"What is it?" Inga probed.

"Oh, just the Crown Princess of Corona," Anna replied. "She must have gotten a letter from the Ambassador, and she says that she hopes the letter finds everyone well… you know, the usual."

"Is that all?" Inga asked, setting aside a few more letters into the stack for herself.

"Yes," her mother replied firmly. "Now, let's go through the rest of these so we're not stuck inside all afternoon." The two worked for a half hour in silence until no more letters were left. Anna quietly took the letter from Corona when Inga was looking out the window and placed it in a pocket.

Inga offered to check in with the kitchen about dinner while her mother checked on the baby. Anna agreed, and told her she'd see her at dinner. The baby was sleeping peacefully, and Gerda assured the Queen that she would let her know the minute the baby woke up, so she walked over and paused before knocking on Elsa's door. She reminded herself she was exhausted, and her emotions were always volatile right after having a baby. Or more so than usual, but volatiler wasn't actually a word. She took a breath and knocked.

"Come in?"

Anna opened the door and walked in, trying not to appear frustrated. "Elsa, Inga tells me you volunteered to chaperone their trip to Corona. Nevermind I had to find out about the trip from the Ambassador… When did you decide on this?"

"Sorry," Elsa replied calmly, "she was talking about needing a chaperone, and, well, I thought it might be nice to visit again." She motioned her sister to sit down by the window with her, where she had just had tea set out.

"Really?" Anna asked skeptically, then sighed as she sat down across from Elsa. "Well, I suppose she doesn't want to go alone, and if Fred is coming along, she shouldn't be expected to be responsible for him. Are you sure this isn't becoming too much of a production, though?"

"It won't be," Elsa assured her. She poured a cup of tea for her sister. "And don't worry, Mattias put a stop to Edith and Kate coming along before there was any pressure on Inga."

Anna looked out the window. "I'm sure you're right. And Inga told me she likes the girl from Corona… Elizabeth? I suppose it would be nice to let her attend a big event in her own kingdom. That sort of thing doesn't happen all that often, and especially if everyone else she knows is so busy. Make sure she can attend, at least, and it's not just a visit to her family."

"Of course," Elsa replied.

They sat in silence drinking tea. Some time later, Gerda came by to let Anna know that the baby was awake and hungry. Elsa followed her back to the bedroom. Anna sat happily in the big chair feeding the baby.

"Anna?" Elsa asked.

"What is it?" Anna replied as if she were speaking to the baby.

"I was just wondering," Elsa gently probed. "Have you met with the Ambassador from Corona, officially, that is?"

Anna sighed, and spoke seriously, but still softly. "No. I hadn't really seen him until yesterday morning when he walked over to tell me about Inga's trip. He has a proper meeting with me tomorrow morning. Along with everyone else. Except the council. That isn't until Wednesday."

"Busy week, huh?" Elsa smiled. "And then Inga's birthday is Thursday."

"Wait, what?" Anna looked up at Elsa. "That can't be right…"

Elsa chuckled softly. "You might want to check the dates on the letters you were writing earlier."

* * *

Following dinner, Kristoff helped Anna put the younger children to bed, and after they were nearly all asleep, and with Sofia quietly sitting next to Nanny reading, they went on to the library. Anton and Peder were playing their violins, making up tunes for Olaf to dance to. Inga and Frederick had just sat down on the sofa next to Elsa, and looked like they had been dancing quite a bit.

"That won't work for dancing at a proper ball, you know, Frederick," Inga laughed. "We'll have to practice this week, and make sure you haven't forgotten everything."

"How about for your birthday?" Frederick offered. "You can have someone come over to play the proper kind of music."

"Inga," Anna interrupted as she walked over. "Did you want to do anything for your birthday? I'm sorry we've completely forgotten this year."

"It's fine," her daughter insisted. "You've been busy. Just think of the trip as my birthday present, how about that?"

Anna sighed. "If you insist. But I promise we'll do something for you next year."

The music stopped abruptly.

"Wait!" Peder called out. "Our birthday is next month, do we get to have a party?"

"Of course you can, if you like," his mother answered. Peder and Anton immediately crowded her, offering up competing ideas for a birthday party.

Frederick laughed watching them. He paused, turning to Elsa sitting next to him. "Oh! Aunt Elsa, I was going to ask… Lars was saying something about the royal family being relatives of ours? Inga didn't remember anything, either, otherwise I'd just think it was me not paying attention again…" Inga looked slightly annoyed at being called out for not knowing something.

Elsa thought for a second, then shook her head. "Anna knows more about those things than I do. Perhaps ask her?"

On hearing her name, Anna excused herself from the twins, who turned to Olaf to continue their planning. She walked across the room to the sofa. "What is it?"

Inga looked up and spoke first. "Mama, the royal family in Corona, how are we related to them?"

"It was…" she thought for a second, "our grandfather's aunt… or was it his great aunt? Yes, his great aunt. She was the grandmother of the current queen."

Fred snorted a laugh. "Really close, then. What does that make us?"

"Well…" Anna paused, holding out both hands in front of herself and lifting up fingers alternately on each while talking to herself under her breath.

"Third cousins, once removed," Kristoff interrupted as he walked over. Anna looked up and smirked at him. "Or," he added, "fourth cousins, once removed, if you're asking about the children…"

"Okay, then," Inga huffed, then laughed a little.

"Who's your fourth cousin?" Olaf butted in.

"Fourth cousin, once removed," Inga corrected, smiling. "The Prince and Princess over in Corona, apparently. The ones who are turning eighteen this year."

"Oh! I remember when their parents were here! Kristoff, do you remember? You were all 'I'm not a tour guide, I didn't ask to be a tour guide!' when he wanted you to take him climbing, and then it turned out he was actually really good at climbing, and then…"

"Wait, what?" Anna interrupted.

"Uh, yeah…" Kristoff replied. "You were… on that trip with Elsa. You know, right after..."

"Oh, of course," Anna mumbled.

Inga sat up. "Mama! What trip?"

Anna looked at Elsa, who gave a subtle nod, before answering. "It was just visiting a few nearby kingdoms… Reestablishing diplomatic relationships, you know, that sort of thing."

"Why haven't you told us about this?" Frederick demanded.

"It was all a bit of a blur. I was seasick most of the time we were at sea, and Elsa did most of the talking..."

"Your Majesty?" Gerda stood at the door. "The baby is awake."

"Oh, thank you, Gerda, I'll be right there," Anna smiled. She gave Kristoff a kiss and whispered for him to stay, then wished everyone good night.

Frederick pouted after she left. "Fine, she won't tell a good story, Father, what about you? Can you tell us about this climbing Olaf was talking about?"

"There's really not much to tell," Kristoff hemmed. "He can climb, and he talked a lot. He seemed nice enough."

"Shouldn't I know more?" Frederick asked him. "Since he talked so much, any big secrets he revealed?"

Inga let out a laugh before elbowing her brother and giving him a glare.

"I'd rather not say in mixed company," their father demurred.

"Okay, Father, then you can tell me alone later," Frederick replied earnestly.

"In that case, I'm not saying anything." Kristoff glared.

"Ooh! Is this a new game?" Olaf asked.

"Yes, yes it is," Kristoff smiled, sitting down in a nearby chair.

"You're very good at it," Olaf told him.

Kristoff sat back as the twins started telling Olaf that it wasn't actually a game.

Elsa excused herself to check in on her sister, and Inga and Frederick wished her good night but were clearly ready to pester their aunt with more questions.

"Papa," Inga asked tentatively, "Why didn't any of you tell us about this before?"

"There…" he hesitated. "There really wasn't much worth telling."

"Maybe sometime when you two aren't so exhausted," Inga suggested. "I'd like to know, even if it makes a horribly dull story."

"And on that note," her father replied as he stood up, "I'm going to try getting some sleep. Good night."


	17. Riding Aside

Elizbeth's father, Captain von der Decken, had recommended allowing two weeks to sail to Corona, even if they weren't stopping anywhere else. The Captain of the ship they hired to take them had promised them to do his best, but the winds weren't always favorable this late in the summer.

Elizabeth settled right into her cabin and acquainted herself with the crew. She tried to get Inga involved, but after only a few minutes of feeling the ship rocking, the princess understood why her mother might have avoided traveling by ship so much. Elsa made Inga go up to the open deck as much as possible, but she was still mostly too miserable to talk much. Frederick, on the other hand, found every minute of the voyage thrilling, and quickly learned all about sailing. He was disappointed the evening when they learned that they were nearing Corona, and would make port the next morning, nearly three days early.

Their ship arrived at the entrance to Corona's harbor at dawn. The sky was just starting to get light, so they had to wait an hour until the harbor master brought out a pilot to help them dock. After the ship was secured and all papers signed, the crew quickly unloaded everyone's belongings.

Inga slowly started feeling better once she stepped onto dry land. She looked around in a daze. The city was larger than anything Inga had seen, and the castle was taller. There were mountains in the distance, but near the city there were only low rolling hills.

Elizabeth seemed to know everyone at the port by name, and quickly found a cousin of hers who had shown up with his wagon to take her to her own house.

"Inga," Elizabeth asked from her cousin's wagon, "would you like to come with me to meet my mother and sisters?"

"Um, I suppose?" Inga hesitated, not really feeling up to conversation yet. "Frederick, what about you?"

"I think I'll follow the porters straight to the castle," he told her. "I'm sure we'll meet up later."

"Elsa? Do you mind? I don't suppose you'd want to come along."

"Thank you, but I should stay with Frederick," her aunt replied.

"Oh, of course," Inga sighed. "All right, Elizabeth, I'm coming." Inga remembered to smile in spite of still not quite having recovered from her seasickness. She reminded herself that she had wanted to see new things and meet people, and this was what she was doing.

Elizabeth's family home was a bit of a distance uphill, just far enough from the noise and clamor of the harbor. Three teenage girls ran out front at the sound of the wagon approaching, and a woman stepped out the front door a moment later.

Elizabeth hopped out of the wagon before it had completely stopped, and reached out for Inga to follow. Elizabeth's sisters eyed Inga curiously. Their sister had written to them that she would be traveling with the Prince and Princess, but Inga realized that she was wearing a rather plain travel dress, and perhaps she didn't look the part. Elizabeth ran to the door to hug everyone as her cousin unloaded her things. Inga stood at the gate to the small front garden.

"And who is this?" their mother asked, gesturing at Inga.

"Oh! Sorry," Elizabeth gasped. "This is…" She paused and went back to the gate. "Inga," she whispered, "is it okay if I introduce you that way?"

"Yes," the princess laughed, "that's just fine. I'll have enough formal introductions at the palace later."

Elizabeth led her to where her mother and sisters were standing. "This is Inga, the one I told you about in my letter."

Inga was then introduced to Mrs. von der Decken, and Elizabeth's sisters Ruth, Diana, and Arianna. The girls peppered the princess with questions until their mother invited her in for some breakfast. Inga followed them into the front room, where they offered her a seat next to the window with a small table next to it with a lace tablecloth. Inga looked through the lace curtains to the street.

"Coffee?" her mother asked.

"Yes, please," Inga replied, taking the cup. She had barely eaten on the ship, and now she was starting to feel hungry again. One of Elizabeth's sisters brought her a plate of bread and pastries, and she cautiously took a piece of plain toast, taking some bites to help settle her stomach.

"So, Inga?" Ruth, the oldest of Elizabeth's sisters asked her. "What do you think of the city so far?"

Inga swallowed a slightly larger chunk of pastry than she meant to so that she could answer. "I haven't really seen it, not yet. It was hard to get my bearings on the way here from the harbor. It's very different."

"You should see the countryside," suggested Diana, the one who had brought the pastry plate earlier. "Do you ride?"

"Yes," Inga confirmed. "And it would be nice to go on a ride while I'm here, especially since we have a few extra days."

"Indeed," replied their mother. "I'm quite surprised what good time you made getting here. And my husband wrote to me that the winds were with them on the way to Arendelle as well! Amazing luck."

Inga wondered if it had been luck, but kept the thought to herself. She took another bite of her pastry. Elizabeth's cousin had left with his wagon shortly after her belongings had been unloaded. Every few minutes another wagon or someone on horseback would pass by, and there were lots of people coming and going on foot.

"Inga?" Elizabeth called out, startling the princess a little. "Inga, did you doze off? Maybe a ride wouldn't be the best idea this morning."

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I was looking outside. It's fascinating." Inga hadn't fallen asleep, but she also hadn't been paying attention to the conversation. "I would like to see the countryside."

"You're sure?" Elizabeth pressed. "If you think so, you could borrow Arianna's horse."

"I don't want to impose," Inga hesitated.

"No, it's fine!" Arianna insisted, still looking somewhat awed at having a real princess in her family's front parlor. Arianna and Diana set about clearing the plates from the parlor as soon as they had finished. Ruth decided to stay home with her younger sister, while Diana insisted on coming along on their ride.

Once Elizabeth and Diana had changed into riding clothes, Inga followed them around the corner to the stable where their horses were kept. Since the family was all girls, they only had side-saddles, and Inga went along with it, thankful she had been taking lessons, but she was still feeling tired enough that she would have prefered a regular saddle, especially since she was wearing her travel dress, anyway.

They rode directly out of town across the bridge to the countryside. Inga kept up easily enough at first as they rode along the far shore, and she listened to the sisters as they caught up with whatever hadn't been worth including in their letters.

"Do you really think Mother will want to sail again?" Diana asked. "It's been ten years, and that time it was only because her sister was getting married in Wesselton."

"Well, what's the alternative?" Elizabeth sighed. "Wait two years until Lars gets a chance to visit Corona again? Elope?"

Her sister laughed. "You don't think he'd change his mind, do you? Besides, Uncle Leopold is an attorney, and worst case you'd get a nice Breach of Promise settlement."

Elizabeth glared at Diana.

Inga looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Don't you have Breach of Promise laws in Arendelle? What do you do if a young man decides not to marry you after you get engaged to him?" Diana asked Inga.

"Oh, well, I suppose we do…" Inga thought for a moment. "Yes, I remember reading about that in one of the law books. But I don't think there have been any legal settlements recently."

Diana giggled. "Well, I suppose there are a lot of oldest children born early there."

"Diana!" her sister exclaimed.

"Someone's blushing," Diana teased, looking at Elizabeth. "You were happy enough not to have a wedding date settled before, you know…"

Inga could feel herself blushing sympathetically, and was glad neither sister was looking at her.

Elizabeth sputtered. "What? NO! We haven't… I haven't… not yet… I mean… No. Stop!"

"Fine," the younger sister declared. "I believe you. I was just teasing."

"If you dare say anything in front of Mother-"

"Aunt Clara's farm is nearby," Diana interrupted. "Let's go visit her."

"One word about this in front of Aunt Clara, and I swear…"

Diana laughed as she galloped her horse ahead, and Elizabeth sped up to catch up with her, disappearing from view where the shore curved ahead.

"I'll catch up," Inga called out, not sure if they heard. Her horse was still trotting along. She got it into a canter, and wasn't sure how fast she should go, since she had no idea where Elizabeth and her sister were going.

"Hilde!" a young man called out, and she heard another horse coming from a road nearby. The horse suddenly appeared, and her own horse bucked, and the next thing she knew she was in the water.

Inga stood up, happy at least to be only a little more than waist deep in water and unhurt, and very glad to be wearing her travel dress without too many layers of skirts. She was still completely drenched, and plodded to shore. A young man was standing holding both his horse and hers, which was still trying to buck a little, but calming down. He was staring at her.

"Hello," she grumbled as she stepped on to dry land.

"Hello," he replied hesitantly. "I'm sorry about that. Can I do anything?"

"Well, it's my own stupidity for riding sidesaddle," she groaned. "My father was right." She looked at the now calm horse and at the saddle, and proceeded to begin unstrapping it from the horse, all the while muttering the words she overheard her father saying when he first saw the sidesaddle hanging in the castle stables. She wasn't supposed to have heard, and most of the words were ones she wasn't supposed to even know, let alone speak, but she was certain nobody would understand her here.

The young man raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're from Arendelle, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Inga looked up briefly from working on the saddle, then had to wipe some soaked hair out of her face. "Is it that obvious?"

"My father taught me a few of those words," he laughed, a bit embarrassed. Inga suddenly thought he looked almost more like a boy just then, though she could tell he hadn't shaved that morning. "He told me never to say them in front of a lady."

"Ow!" Inga felt her knuckle get pinched by the buckle she was unfastening, too distracted by this stranger. Immediately she put the hand to her mouth rather than swear again. "You're lucky I'm not a lady, then," she told him as she went back to undoing all the straps. "So, your father is from Arendelle?"

"No, but he visited once. He's visited a lot of places, though…" he was almost starting to ramble, but stopped himself watching Inga finishing up with the saddle.

She lifted it off the horse and nearly threw it on the ground, looking around for any sign of Elizabeth and her sister.

"Can I help you with anything?" he asked again.

"Um, no…" she hesitated. "Well, yes, can you give me a lift up to the horse?"

"Are you sure?" He looked concerned. "What about the saddle?"

"Leave it," she groaned. "I'll have much better luck bareback."

He shrugged and gave her a boost up to the horse. The horse seemed confused by someone sitting without a saddle, but Inga managed to calm it. She looked down at the saddle, and remembered it was borrowed from Elizabeth's family.

"Ugh," she sighed, then looked up at the young man. "That's not my saddle. I need to return it, but I really don't want to be carrying anything right now. Maybe one more favor? Could you hand that up to me?"

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I could return it for you. Where are you staying?"

"Well, the stables…" she paused, trying to remember if there was an address.

He laughed. "Stables? You're staying in the stables?"

"No," she glared. "I'm trying to remember. I only just arrived. I borrowed this horse from my friends, well, not exactly. One is a friend, and then her sisters... I only just met them, and I'm not sure if I like-" she heard herself rambling. "Sorry. The stables. They weren't too far from the harbor… It belongs to the family of Captain von der Decken, I don't know if that helps."

"I can ask if anyone knows them," he offered. "I'm sure I'll be able to find the right place. Are you heading back now? I can make sure-"

"No, I should continue this way and find my friend and her sister." She looked ahead, and hoped that they hadn't taken any turns up ahead. "Thank you, though. For holding my horse, and returning the saddle for me. Are you sure it's not a problem?"

"No, no, please, no problem at all," he insisted. "Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"Yes, just fine. Thank you again, but now I really need to find my friends." Inga rode off.

She heard the young man's voice behind her. "Hilde! There you are!"

After several minutes, she saw Elizabeth on her horse waiting where two roads met.

"Inga!" Elizabeth gasped. "You're soaking wet! And where is your saddle?"

"Sorry," Inga replied. "I didn't see a crossroad, and the horse got startled by another rider, and I got thrown into the water. I took the saddle off, but he'll return it to your house. At least, he said he would. If he doesn't, I'll pay for a replacement. I don't know what I was thinking."

Elizabeth looked at her. "At any rate, Inga, you need to change clothes. I told Diana you might have gotten lost and to just meet us back home, so we'll go back to town. You could get a new dress, you know. This is a good excuse."

"I brought plenty of clothes," Inga protested as they turned to return to the city.

"I saw your trunk on the ship," Elizabeth almost scolded her. "You really didn't bring that many clothes, and we'll be here for at least a week and we're going to the Coronation and the Banquet. Plus, I don't know, but I expect your aunt has some more plans for you."

"But…"

"If it makes you feel better," Elizabeth cut her off, more gently this time. "I'll be taking you to my grandfather's shop, so you'll be doing us a favor by patronizing our business. How's that?"

"Oh, fine," Inga relented "but you're starting to sound like my mother."

-End of Chapter-

_[Note: Breach of Promise of Marriage is best explained in Gilbert and Sullivan's "Trial By Jury"]_


	18. Uncomfortable

Elizabeth's mother was very distressed to see Inga return soaking wet and without a saddle. She offered a hot bath, which Inga decided to accept, since she didn't want to risk the first impression the Corona royal family would have of her to be sneaking into the castle wearing a soaked travel dress. While the bath was prepared, Elizabeth walked down the street to get someone from her grandfather's shop to bring over some dresses for Inga to try on, along with some shoes and underclothes. The shop was nearby, so by the time Inga had finished her bath, there were already a half dozen dresses laid out on Elizabeth's bed.

"Oh!" Inga exclaimed, clutching the borrowed robe closed. "Elizabeth, you really didn't need to do this!"

"Don't worry about it," Elizabeth told her. "Here's a clean shift and some drawers, and let me know when you're ready and I'll give you help with the corset."

"But… you don't have my measurements..."

"Mother's got a pretty good eye for these things," Elizabeth laughed. "She had it figured out by the end of breakfast."

Elizabeth left her alone for a few minutes. Inga felt the shift and drawers, and even she could tell they were cotton and not linen. They were very soft, if perhaps a little warm, and she decided to try untangling her hair with her fingers for a few minutes before putting on the corset. She had her hair in a loose braid when she heard a knock at the door.

"How are you doing?" Elizabeth asked her, peeking through the door.

"Just fine, thank you," Inga replied. "This is cotton, isn't it?"

"Yes," Elizabeth replied, then lowered her voice. "Don't tell Lars. He almost got into a fight with Grandfather over importing cotton last year. I barely managed to distract everyone and change the subject."

"Oh," Inga swallowed, not wanting to get into a political discussion herself.

"Don't worry, though," Elizabeth assured her. "Grandfather started getting his cotton from Egypt this year."

"Ah, I see," Inga murmured. She put on the new stockings, and the shoes only barely fit her feet. She hoped that her good shoes she packed in her trunk would be acceptably fancy for the banquet later in the week. She would barely be able to walk in the new shoes without getting blisters, let alone dance, if there was going to be any dancing. She hadn't thought to ask, still she didn't want to criticize a gift.

She looked down at the bed. "I suppose I will need help with the corset. I'm not used to having to work the laces in the back." 

"I suppose you have maids to do that?" Elizabeth asked, trying to make conversation as she helped lace up the back.

"Only for fancy balls, usually, but- Oof!" Inga grunted as Elizabeth started pulling on the laces.

"Let me guess, they don't approve of tightlacing, either?"

"Well, my father doesn't," Inga had to confess, trying to catch her breath.

"I think I could have guessed that by now," Elizabeth chuckled kindly. "Okay, I'll stop there and we'll see if the dress fits. Mother can let out the dress a bit if we need to."

"Thank you," she gasped. Inga was glad to see that the dress just fit without having to make any further adjustments.

There was a knock at the door below, and a good deal of commotion downstairs. Inga assumed it was the saddle being returned, or perhaps the man from the road being directed to the stables. Elizabeth ran downstairs, and Inga went ahead and followed.

"Inga! You look different!" Frederick called from the front parlor.

"Thanks?" Inga replied skeptically, still trying to catch a proper breath. She looked around the front parlor. Elizabeth had gone to the back of the house to check on her mother. "Where's Aunt Elsa?"

"Oh, she left me here," he smiled. "She's going to go call on Lars's mother. She said it's not far, and that we should be back to the castle and changed by two. I guess they want to have tea with us? I hope it's not one of those teas where they don't serve anything to eat."

"Have you met them already, the Royal Family, I mean?" Inga asked.

"No, they were all out, I guess, or busy, or something like that," he informed her. "You should see our rooms, though!"

"I suppose it's a good thing I've got new clothes now," Inga admitted. "Which reminds me, I should probably see if the shoes Elizabeth left upstairs for me will even fit. It's almost noon, so we should probably get going if we don't want to be in a rush."

Elizabeth insisted on walking Inga and Frederick to Mrs. Nilsen's house so they could return to the castle with Elsa, and Elizabeth could visit with her future mother-in-law while the royal tea was going on.

When they got to Mrs. Nilsen's door, Inga could just see through the lace curtains that Elsa was sitting in the parlor.

"Oh! She's having tea!" Frederick exclaimed as Elizabeth walked ahead to knock on the door. "I hope this means there will be actual food at the castle!"

A woman who would look unremarkable walking around town in Arendelle answered the door. She was medium height and plump, and Inga could tell she had been blonde in her prime. She was smiling pleasantly as she opened the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Nilsen!" Elizabeth chirped as she greeted the older woman warmly and stepped inside. "I heard that… oh, there she is!"

Elsa approached the door. "I thought you would be heading directly back to the castle," she said to her nephew, then eyed her niece. "Inga… you look uncomfortable."

"I'm fine," Inga replied, forcing a smile.

Elsa introduced her niece and nephew to Mrs. Nilsen.

"I've heard so much about you two in particular," she told them with a touch of wistfulness in her voice. She seemed to be looking the two up and down, as if to check every feature. "I'm so happy for your mother. She deserves such happiness."

Elsa seemed agitated. "It's past noon now, we should be going. I'll call on you again tomorrow, Margit."

"Thank you so much for coming Your-" Mrs. Nilsen caught herself. "Thank you, Elsa, it was good to see you again after all these years."

Once they got to the castle, Elsa showed Inga to her room. Inga had to agree with Frederick that it was a very impressive bedroom. She quickly took off her new shoes, and took the stockings off to make sure she hadn't developed any blisters yet. She found her spare shoes in her trunk. She still had an hour until the tea, so she flopped down on the bed before putting her stockings or shoes back on. She really didn't want to bother anyone, so she left the corset laced up.

She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until she heard Elsa calling from the other side of the door.

"Please come in!" she called back, awkwardly working on sitting up without pinching her midsection more than it already was.

"We need to be downstairs in ten minutes," her aunt told her, trying to sound stern, but barely hiding a laugh, helping her niece get her balance and put her stockings and shoes back on.

Inga quickly checked herself in the mirror, and was glad that she had at least braided her hair right after her bath so that it looked presentable. Her aunt assured her that the back of the dress had avoided any noticeable wrinkling during her nap. After checking her appearance, they left the room. Elsa clearly knew the way they were going, but Inga felt disoriented.

"You seem to know this place. Did you and Mother also visit Corona on that trip?" Inga asked her as they walked along.

"Which trip?" she asked in reply.

"That diplomatic trip Mother was starting to tell us about a few nights before my birthday? I never got to ask anyone before we left, and Father doesn't seem to feel like talking about it, so I thought I'd ask you…"

"Oh, yes, that trip included Corona," Elsa replied.

"There were other trips?" Inga inquired.

"Not here, no," Elsa replied.

"So was that how you met Mrs. Nilsen?" Inga probed.

"Um," Elsa paused and briefly looked over at her niece. "She hadn't moved here yet."

"Oh, then that was a long time ago, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," her aunt replied just as they arrived at the door to the garden patio.

Frederick was already standing by the glass door, looking out trying to see whether they were setting out pastries or sandwiches or anything substantial. Inga looked around, trying to see if anyone else besides servants were around. Someone announced the King and Queen arriving. They greeted each other politely, and the Corona royals motioned them out to the patio, apologizing for the lateness of everyone else. They waited for the others before sitting down, and Frederick fidgeted, so Inga suggested that he go look around the patio rather than standing grumbling right in front of the King and Queen.

Before much conversation could begin, a young woman with stylish brown hair showed up, and they were introduced to the Princess Clothilde.

"Sorry," the other princess quietly told her grandparents after her introductions had been finished. "Mother and Father are looking for Henry. I haven't seen him since we got back from our ride this morning. Something about a saddle."

As Princess Clothilde was saying this, the Crown Princess Rapunzel and her husband Eugene arrived, looking someone flustered. Both immediately cheered up on realizing that their guests had arrived. The couple were happy to see Elsa again after so many years. The Crown Princess asked if her sister had shared the letter she had sent, which Elsa admitted she had apparently forgotten to do, but the two of them would catch up after tea.

They were amazed at how much the children had grown; it had been a few years since an official portrait had been sent from Arendelle. They told Frederick he looked so much like his father. Inga had to nudge her brother when he started to make a face. The Princess Clothilde insisted that they call her Hilde, so of course the Prince and Princess from Arendelle told her to call them Frederick and Inga.

Just as they were about to begin the tea with only those present, the door to the patio opened, and Prince Henry was announced. Inga immediately felt herself flush. She recognized Prince Henry. He was the young man she'd met on her morning ride. He was focused on apologizing to his parents and grandparents, but when he turned around for his introduction, he gave a knowing grin. Inga quickly looked to see if anyone else noticed. Only Hilde seemed to.

They finally got to sit down and have the tea. Inga hadn't had a proper lunch, and in fact hadn't really had anything to eat since the plain toast at breakfast. She was nearly as thankful as Frederick was for the sandwiches being served along with the tea, though unlike her brother, she quickly filled up.

"So, Inga," Hilde asked her between sips of tea. "Have you had a chance to see much of the Kingdom of Corona yet?"

"Only a little," Inga answered. "I went on a ride with a friend of mine this morning, but it got… cut short…" She glanced over at Prince Henry, who was raising an eyebrow and smirking at her. Inga took another sip of tea and focused on the china pattern.

"I'm sorry about that," he interjected. "I did eventually return the saddle, so you know. I had forgotten the Captain's name by the time I got back to town, so I had to ask around."

"Wait, Henry," his sister interrupted. "That's what the saddle thing was about? I thought you told me she wasn't-"

"Well, technically…" he cut her off, but didn't complete his thought.

"I need to apologize for my behavior, I think," Inga confessed. "I'm afraid I might have been a bit rude."

"Don't worry about that," he assured her. "I think if you've been thrown from a horse, you have a good excuse."

"Inga, what's this?" Elsa asked with some alarm from across the table. "Is that why you got new clothes?"

"No, Elizabeth insisted on the clothes. Or rather, her mother insisted I take a bath at their house, and I didn't want to be arriving at the castle soaked, and at that point, it made sense to take the dry clothes. We'll pay for them, don't worry."

"Well, this is turning into a more interesting story than I was expecting, if I could only piece everything together properly," Hilde laughed.

"Wait, Inga," her aunt interrupted, "if you got thrown from a horse this morning, I think I should know."

"I'm fine, really," Inga insisted. "In your next letter, you can tell Mama that I learned my lesson about riding sidesaddle. Papa should be pleased."

Prince Henry laughed a little too loudly. Hilde looked at him quizzically. Inga tried to look at the view in the opposite direction from anyone at the table.

"Do you ride sidesaddle, then?" Hilde asked her.

"Not very well, obviously," Inga sighed bitterly, glad that Elsa had become engrossed in conversation on the other side of the table again.

"Ah," Hilde giggled. "I see now. The way Henry told the story this morning, some Viking Shield Maiden had emerged from the water and presented him with a saddle." Prince Henry glared at his sister.

Inga nearly spat out her tea. "I don't know if I should be offended or flattered."

"Vikings, what?" Frederick butted into the conversation with a mouth full of sandwich.

"Me, apparently," Inga snorted.

"Huh? How? You've practically never even been on a boat until last week," Frederick replied a little too literally.

"Thank you, Frederick," Inga laughed. "I can always count on you."


	19. Innocent

Once the sandwiches and dessert had been eaten, Frederick declared that he was going to go back to his room to change into more comfortable clothes. Inga thought that wasn't such a bad idea, but didn't share her brother's willingness to leave a social event before being excused. Elsa and the Crown Princess walked off to discuss something privately, and Henry and Hilde left to continue their preparations for the events later that week and the rest of the Corona Royal Family followed.

After standing on the patio for a moment while the servants cleared the tea, Inga decided to go inside and catch up with Frederick, and walked down the hallway to find him. From around the corner she could hear young women giggling and thought she heard her brother with them. Inga hurried toward the sound and saw three ladies cornering her brother, who looked trapped despite being noticeably taller. Inga couldn't place their accents, but they were well dressed, so she assumed they were ladies from some other kingdom also visiting for the occasion.

"So, Prince... Frederick, you're from Arendelle?" one of the ladies hummed, getting very close to Frederick, who looked uncomfortable. "I heard they have a dozen children."

"Eight children," he corrected, his voice cracking slightly.

"Still, quite busy," another giggled, touching his arm.

"Well, right now they are," he replied earnestly. "New babies are a lot of work."

"Oh, I would have thought they were busier last fall," the third butted in, looking up at him and winking.

"Huh?" Frederick stared in confusion. "I mean, the holidays have a lot going on, but we have a lot of help for that."

"There you are, Frederick!" Inga called over, grabbing his hand and glaring at the ladies. "I've been looking for you."

"What for?" her brother asked.

"Something," she spat out, not even bothering to think of an excuse, dragging him away. "Nice meeting you," she muttered glaring back at the women.

"What was that about?" Frederick asked when they were a distance away. "They seemed awfully interested in Mother and Father's schedule."

"Um, I don't think that was it," Inga mumbled.

"What was it, then?" he demanded.

"Nevermind that," she insisted. "Look, just watch out for, you know... women like that. I don't think they had… um… your best interests in mind. Maybe their own interests."

"I don't understand," he whined. "They were getting annoying, but what's that got to do with what our parents were doing last fall?"

Inga blinked as she looked at her brother. "As far as I'm concerned, you've answered your own question, Fred. Look, you're not bad looking, and you're probably going to inherit the throne someday-"

"Not if you can help it," he quipped.

"Oh, you heard, then? That wasn't my idea," she apologized. "And they haven't made any decisions. Hopefully it won't matter for a long time, anyway."

"And what about you?"

"Don't worry about me," she told him. "Anyhow, like I said, it wasn't my idea."

"Thanks? I guess…" he mumbled. "So, I need to learn to avoid women who are too curious about our parents?"

"That wasn't…" she suppressed a laugh. "That wasn't really my point, but you know they were teasing you, right?"

"I still don't get it."

"Fine, ask Papa when we get home."

"Why Father? Why not Mother? And I thought you were involved in a lot of the planning, too?"

Inga covered her face. "Well, you can certainly ask Mama if you like, but leave me out of it!"

"But…"

"Let it go, Frederick!"

They walked in silence to their rooms. Frederick stopped before going into his room, and Inga waited to see if he wanted to say anything more.

"Inga?"

"Yes, Frederick?"

"Do we have to dress up for dinner?"

"No," Inga laughed. "I don't think there are any dinner plans. Why don't we go into town to find something to eat? I need to make sure that Elizabeth's family has been paid for all the clothing. At least I know they got the saddle back now. I really hope there wasn't a big scene when it got returned, or I'm sure her younger sisters will never let me hear the end of it."

"Wait, what happened?" her brother asked.

"Elizabeth had to hurry off following her sister, and I needed to catch up, and the horse got spooked, and I'm really not used to controlling a horse riding sidesaddle. It's different. So I got thrown into the water. I guess I should be glad I had a soft landing and didn't break my neck."

"Yeah, I'd never get to go anywhere again," Frederick muttered.

"I'm glad you care," Inga laughed. "So, I'll knock on your door in a half hour. Go change. Don't get distracted."

Inga found the extra new clothes had already been delivered to her room. They were carefully hung up in the closet next to the clothes she had packed from home. Looking at the clothes side by side, she decided that, at least for the coronation ball later that week, she would wear the new dress. For the time being, she was happy to change into something less constricting. She swallowed her pride and called one of the castle maids to help loosen her corset so she could actually breathe freely for the evening.

Frederick knocked on her door after exactly a half hour, surprising Inga with his promptness.

"I'm hungry," he explained. She had to laugh. They headed outside.

"Frederick," Inga began once it looked like there was no one from the castle listening. "Did you notice what the Crown Princess said to Aunt Elsa?"

"Huh?" He questioned. "I mean, they've met before. I guess they want to catch up."

"It's just…" Inga paused as they crossed a street. "It's just that the Crown Princess mentioned a letter that Mother was supposed to have shared, and it seems that she didn't."

"Mother's been tired," he stated.

"Yes, but…" she waited for some passers by to be out of earshot. "It's just that, I think I was with Mother when she got that letter. I didn't think about it at the time, but she wouldn't let me look at it, even though she claimed it was just a standard letter wishing everyone good health. I never did see that letter. And the thing is, Elsa didn't get whatever letter she was supposed to get, but she didn't seem to be surprised about that."

"Well," Frederick shrugged, "like I said before, Mother's been tired. People do funny things when they're tired, like fall off horses."

Inga stopped and glared at him. Frederick kept walking.

"Hey, we're almost there!" He waved back at her, and she followed him.

They arrived at Elizabeth's family home. The sisters swarmed them immediately, simultaneously commenting about Prince Henry himself having come to the house to return the saddle, and then, since the younger girls hadn't met Frederick, pestering him with questions about him and his interests. He seemed more than happy to talk about horses with them.

"Really, Inga," Elizabeth whispered to her, "Why didn't you mention meeting the Prince this morning?"

"I didn't know who he was," Inga admitted.

"I thought the royal families all sent each other portraits of each other? I know Lars had seen pictures of all of you before he left, although they were rather out of date."

"I… I didn't bother to look," Inga stammered. "I suppose it was a little foolish of me."

Elizabeth's mother came in and told them the cook had enough food that they could invite Inga and Frederick to dinner. Inga tried to protest, but her brother was quite hungry, and their aunt had said nothing about dinner plans, nor had anyone from Corona's Royal Family.

* * *

It was dark by the time Inga and Frederick returned to the castle. It had been a long day, and even Frederick was ready to head straight to bed. Dinner had been delicious, and there was more than enough food to satisfy even Frederick's appetite. Elizabeth's sisters had quickly lost interest in teasing the young prince, and Elizabeth successfully managed to steer the conversation away from her sisters hinting about Inga and Prince Henry.

Inga paused outside the door to her room after Frederick had gone into his own room. She heard her aunt's voice from the room next door, and the door was slightly ajar, so she decided that perhaps she would wait before heading to bed and see what was going on.

"...but I understand. Objecting to his placement would have drawn too much attention with those examination results. You don't need to apologize."

"Still," the Crown Princess replied, "I should have made more of an attempt to get in touch with you about that earlier."

Inga softly knocked on the door. "Aunt Elsa?"

Elsa had been starting to say something and stopped. "Inga, it's you! Please come in!"

Inga walked in, and Elsa and the Crown Princess were sitting at a small table by the window. The latter informed them that she should be getting to bed soon.

"I do hope my son didn't cause you too much trouble this morning," she smiled.

"Um, what?" Inga mumbled, looking down at her shoes. "Oh, right… No, no, don't worry about that."

"Well, then, good night!" she told them cheerfully as she left.

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot about dinner," Elsa apologized as soon as they were alone. "Did Frederick find something to eat?"

"Don't worry, we both did," Inga assured her. "I needed to check in with Elizabeth's family, anyway, both about the saddle and about the new clothes, and their mother invited us to stay for dinner."

"I hope Frederick wasn't too much trouble," Elsa chuckled.

"Well, about that…" Inga sighed.

* * *

It was the night before the Coronation festivities, and the clock in the center of the city struck eleven. Elsa knocked on the door to Mrs. Nilsen's house.

Elizabeth answered it. "Oh!" she gasped.

"Elizabeth, it's late, what are you doing here?" Elsa asked her.

Mrs. Nilsen walked over. "We were having dinner this evening and stayed talking," she said kindly. "Elizabeth was asking if I might move back to Arendelle after she and Lars were married. I told her I would have to think about it." The woman gave Elsa a glance, lost on Elizabeth.

"I…" Elsa saw that Elizabeth had moved to the sitting room to pick up the dessert plates. She lowered her voice. "Margit, I think that could work out nicely. We'll discuss it more later."

Elsa and Mrs. Nilsen went to sit down, and Elizabeth joined them when she returned from the kitchen.

"It would really be nice," Elizabeth began. "With Lars being so busy, you know… I've made friends in Arendelle, of course, but Lars... his job isn't likely to stay in one place for very long. Every few years he might get a new assignment... and with Karl in the Navy and away at sea so much…" she looked hesitantly at her future mother-in-law.

"You are right, dear. I really don't have much left to tie me to Corona." She glanced at Elsa again.

"You'll have to show me the places in Arendelle that you remember when we get there," Elizabeth gushed.

"I think a lot has changed in twenty years," Mrs. Nilsen sighed. "I really don't know how much I'll recognize."

"Well, of course, if you don't have that many ties to Arendelle now, either, perhaps you can follow along whenever Lars gets transfered. You'd think with my father being a captain I wouldn't worry about it, but Father is just gone a lot. We've never had to actually move. It's… it's different somehow."

"Moving is always difficult," Mrs. Nilsen said quietly, looking at the plain ring on her left hand.

Elizabeth sighed, looking like she wanted to say something that she shouldn't. She looked up a moment later. "I really don't mind, not for him. It's almost funny. My sisters always talk about meeting a prince. I'm sure I don't need to convince you, Mrs. Nilsen, but I think Lars is better than a prince. I hope I don't sound too ridiculous."

"Well, I don't think you'll hear an objection from me," Mrs. Nilsen smiled.

Elsa looked at Mrs. Nilsen as she sat pensively between the two. "Elizabeth," Elsa spoke suddenly. "If you really are sure about having the wedding soon, I can write to my sister to make sure that most of the arrangements have been made before we return."

"Your M- Elsa, you really are too kind," Mrs. Nilsen told her.

"That would be… but I don't want to impose too much!" Elizabeth replied, tense with excitement.

"It would just be making sure the bishop has time in his schedule for all the preparations, and reserving time in the Cathedral. Think nothing of it," Elsa told her.

Elizabeth let out a happy sigh. "And then, tomorrow I get to see the Coronation! I had agreed to go to Arendelle this month in part because I thought there was no chance I would get to go. This is just so exciting! I really am getting everything I want," she gushed, then frowned a little. "I don't mean to sound selfish, sorry."

"No, no, dear, you can think about yourself sometimes," Mrs. Nilsen assured her with a hug, looking up at Elsa.

"It's much later than I realized," Elsa declared. "Elizabeth, do you need someone to walk home with you? I should be heading back now. There's a lot to do tomorrow."


	20. The Coronation

_Inga struggled in the water. The young man had appeared out of nowhere, startling her horse, throwing her into the bay. He was a rough, dark-haired stranger. He came and lifted her swiftly out of the brackish water, the shock of cool morning air on her damp skin hardly noticed in his warm embrace, he carried her to his horse, and rode away with her. _

_As they approached the city, she asked him his name. He didn't say, but suddenly the city had vanished, and instead of the low hills of Corona she saw the steep cliffs along the fjord approaching Arendelle. The dark-haired stranger was now the leering redhead. Inga wanted to scream, but her throat wouldn't let out any sound. There was no escape. The man was taking her prisoner. _

Inga woke with a start. She hated the dreams with the leering redhead, but even more, she hated that he had now intruded himself onto the more pleasant dream. She tried to remember the more pleasant beginning, but it was already fading. She usually had the other dream after someone brought up the stories about her mother. It always felt real, and she needed to bring herself back to reality.

The clock was striking six, and the sky was only just starting to get light, but she needed to sleep a little longer, since the coronation festivities that day would go late into the night.

* * *

Henry sat down at the nearly empty breakfast table.

"It's almost eight, you're barely going to have time to eat," his sister told him as he poured himself coffee.

"Where is everyone else?"

"They're already getting ready," she sighed. "I told them I'd wait for you. We're going to need to get into our costumes soon, too, you know."

"Costumes?" Henry laughed.

"You know what I mean," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'd hardly call what they were fitting us for yesterday regular clothing. We'll change before dinner, at least. You have something picked out to wear to dinner, right? Ask Father for advice if you haven't."

"I have something picked out," he grumbled. "Even I know this isn't some random state dinner."

"Well, of course," Hilde smiled. "You want to look nice for her, don't you?"

"What?" He looked up. "No. I mean, that's not it. I was going to, anyway."

"But it's extra motivation, isn't it?" she winked.

"Just… don't say anything more? Please?" he looked at her.

Hilde giggled. "This is about that viking comment, isn't it?"

"I'm never going to share anything with you ever again at this rate," he grumbled.

"I'll be good," she promised as she got up from the table. "I'm going now. I'll send someone to find you in a few minutes if you're not ready."

* * *

Elizabeth's sisters had been quite jealous when they heard that she would get to go to all of the Coronation events. Inga wore the new ballgown that Elizabeth had gotten her, but chose the old shoes she had packed from home, because there was going to be dancing. Inga had to call on the palace maids to help her fit into the gown. She wasn't quite sure how this would work with dinner and dancing, but it was slightly less painful than it had been a few days before.

Elizabeth and Inga had spent a lot of time together in the days since they had arrived in Corona though they had avoided certain topics of conversation. The times that Inga had managed to see Elsa, Frederick was usually there, too. He had been sticking with either his aunt or his sister since his encounter with the unknown ladies. Inga tried to be understanding, but there were several discussion topics that she couldn't bring up with either Elizabeth or her aunt when he was around.

The Coronation itself was a grand, formal affair like nothing Inga or Frederick had seen. Prince Henry and Princess Clothilde of Corona looked serious and formal, and Inga almost didn't recognize them from the other morning, both gazing vacantly over everyone's heads. There were people from dozens of kingdoms in the cathedral, and Inga was trying to remember if any of them had visited Arendelle. She knew no one from Wesselton or the Southern Isles had visited in her lifetime, and she eyed their representatives cautiously. After the ceremony had ended, she tried her best to listen in as names were announced heading into the banquet, but her family were considered special guests of the Corona Royal Family, and she was too busy being seated to properly hear or see when the guests of interest were announced.

Inga had hoped to possibly speak more with Hilde, but for the banquet she was seated on the opposite side of her parents and grandparents, near some young man she seemed familiar with. Frederick was sitting between Elsa and Prince Henry. Inga sat between her aunt and Elizabeth, and listened to the latter tell Lady Amelia of Wesselton about her father's ship, her recent trip to Arendelle, and her fiance's posting there. Elizabeth would occasionally check in on Inga, who would try to listen in on some of Lady Amelia's stories of Wesselton. Inga realized she knew very little about the country despite its being so close to Arendelle.

On the other side, Elsa was eating quietly, and seemed to be deep in thought. Inga wished that she could think of something to speak about, but all the things she wanted to ask seemed better for a less public setting. She could hear bits of conversation between her brother and Prince Henry to the other side, mostly about Frederick's newfound love of sailing, or the relative merits of horses versus reindeer. Looking around the room, she tried to identify anyone she had seen before in Arendelle, but she didn't recognize any of them.

"You should come to Arendelle some time," Frederick was telling Prince Henry, "then we can show you around."

Inga wished her brother wouldn't go inviting people they'd only just met to come visit, though she supposed that Frederick had every right to make friends. The two kept talking.

A moment later she noticed Frederick standing up, and heard Prince Henry as they walked past. "There's a good view from the balcony out there, why don't I show you?"

"Inga," Frederick spoke up, patting her shoulder, "you look bored, come with us!"

"Um, I guess so," Inga hemed, "Elsa?"

"No, thank you," their aunt smiled. "Please, you go enjoy yourselves."

Inga reluctantly followed her brother and Prince Henry out to the large balcony. She had fully intended to make it through the trip without having to think about foreign princes, though her misadventure the first morning had certainly made it all the more difficult. She was used to falling back on pure formalities when dealing with an interested prince, but she realized she couldn't address him as "Your Highness" without sounding almost rude at this point.

She gasped a little as they walked out on the balcony; it was indeed a very nice view. She might have to admit that it was one of the more spectacular views she had seen. She certainly hadn't seeen any cities like this. It wasn't yet dark, though the sun had set almost a half hour earlier. There was the thinnest crescent moon about to set, following the sun. Inga tried to see the different locations Prince Henry described to her brother. She recognized where their ship had docked a few days earlier, and the bridge they rode over that first morning was hard to miss, but the rooftops all looked similar, and blocked the views of the narrow streets. Elizabeth came outside just then, and Inga felt a little more comfortable when she saw her.

"Oh, there's our house!" Elizabeth exclaimed, pointing, "and I see the naval headquarters over there!"

"I think I recognize some of the places from our ride," Inga remarked quietly to Elizabeth, though she had to admit to herself that she wasn't entirely sure where she had been.

A moment later, Lady Amelia came outside and told Elizabeth that she wished to introduce her to an admiral from the Wesselton navy.

"Inga, I'll be right back," Elizabeth assured her as she followed her back inside, "I promise!"

"Are we missing dessert?" Frederick asked as if on cue, and walked back inside.

"They'll be serving dessert for an entire hour!" Prince Henry called after him. "Oh, nevermind. Your brother enjoys his food, doesn't he?"

"Yes, well, he's growing," Inga sighed.

Henry laughed, but didn't say anything. Inga glanced back at the door, hoping to see someone come back out, but nobody did. She wished she could breathe more freely. She was wondering if she'd even be able to dance later. She was also wondering if it was really just the corset. She was used to talking to men she could address formally, and she was used to talking to her father and brothers and people she could view as almost family, but she had never thought very hard about talking with someone who didn't seem to belong to one of those categories. When she looked back, she made eye contact with Henry. He seemed to sense her discomfort.

"Sorry," he said, looking away.

"What?" Inga looked back at him.

"Sorry for making things awkward the other day, I guess," he answered, looking out over the city.

"Oh, um." she tried to think of the appropriate reply. "Thanks."

"Thanks?" he repeated, looking at her.

"What was I supposed to say?" she asked, reminding herself that he wasn't actually standing that close to her. She couldn't touch him if she stretched out her arm. That was plenty of space.

"You could tell me that I wasn't making things awkward with you," he suggested petulantly.

"Why would I say that if it actually was awkward?" she asked incredulously.

"Because… um…" he sputtered, his voice cracking a little. "Fine, you're not flirting with me, then?" The moon had set an hour earlier and it was too dark out to see his face clearly.

"Nevermind, you're right, it wasn't awkward before," she groaned. She could feel him watching her, and turned to look the opposite direction. She was finding it even harder to breathe than at the beginning of the evening, and tried leaning on the railing of the balcony, but her dress made it difficult.

"I just thought-" he stopped himself.

"What?" she huffed. "You thought that I'm going to be teasing and giggling like those ladies from… wherever it is they're from."

"The ones from Wesselton?" he asked in disgust.

"Maybe? I don't know," she felt disarmed by his reply. "Frederick ran into them our first day here."

"They arrived the day before you," Henry explained. "I've been avoiding them, too. I'm eighteen now, so they had their eyes on me. I suppose your brother would be a good second choice. I'm… no, I mean… you're nothing like that, I know that."

"Oh." She swallowed, not sure how to respond.

"Your brother told me about what our Ambassador said, by the way," he chuckled weakly.

"Oh. That," she grumbled, slowly turning back around and rubbing her forehead. "I hope my brother made it very clear I came here in spite of that and not because of that." Inga realized she had managed to forget about the Ambassador's invitation since their arrival in Corona.

"I think he mentioned that," Henry snorted.

"It's so frustrating," she blurted out. "I really have no plans of marrying any time soon. And my parents aren't into, well... that sort of diplomacy, you know what I mean?"

He looked over at her. "Well then, I guess that's all cleared up now, isn't it?"

"And now I really have made it awkward, haven't I?" Inga blushed. At home she had almost gotten control over talking too much and saying things that could be left unsaid.

They both stood looking over the city for a few minutes.

"It's not that I don't want to get married eventually," she found herself saying, breaking the silence, "but when almost everyone has been throwing their princes and dukes my way since I was hardly more than twelve, it gets a bit tiresome."

"But you just said that's not what your parents want for you, right?" he asked, keeping his eyes focused on the city.

"No," she replied quickly. "It's definitely not their idea, but I don't think they really noticed that it was going on, and they really don't know what to tell me. They try, but it's obvious they have no idea what to do about me. I think their latest idea is trying to fix that, keep me from feeling like my only option is to get married, but that wouldn't stop the attention, just change who it's from."

"I think I remember your brother saying something about that, too."

"The less said, the better," she sighed. "But it's certainly not my idea, if you're talking about what I think you are."

"Well, he seems to think you're a better fit, anyway," Henry smiled, looking back at her. She tried to keep looking straight ahead.

"He just needs time to grow up," Inga insisted.

"And they're worried about nobody staying on the throne long enough for that to happen?" he smirked.

Inga glared at him. "That's not funny."

"Sorry." He looked at her.

"It's just… you know…" she stammered. "It's something I think about a lot."

"That and worrying about being married off, I take it?"

"Well, I'm rather worried about making a mistake," she began.

"Like me?" Prince Henry looked back at her curiously.

"Not exactly, I mean- no, not you. At least, I haven't heard anything bad about you…" she had been completely facing him, and turned herself to face away from him quickly enough that her skirts rustled and swung against him. "But that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

"My mother… my mother, she had… well, everyone knows that story. Surely you've heard it if your father taught you… that vocabulary." she looked at him pointedly. "I mean, it's the usual thing, I'll be talking to some ambassador or other, and if I say that I'm not interested in getting married yet, they give a knowing nod and in hushed tones they tell me they can understand and they won't bring it up again. And they all think they're in on some big conspiracy by not talking about it around us."

"Um… Is this about the ice thing? Because I know about that. My parents were there, you know."

"Well, I only just learned about their visit right before I came here," she laughed. "So I suppose I should just be thankful to learn that family gossip hasn't gotten around to quite everyone."

He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What did you just learn? I don't seem to be up to following the conversation."

"Just that your parents know my parents. I… I really hadn't known that. Especially not my father and yours."

"Oh!" he laughed. "Well, I can tell you all about it, I think. I suppose it's my fault they lost touch. Or, well, both mine and Hilde's..."

"What do you mean?" Inga asked.

"Mother always felt a bit guilty about missing your mother's coronation and wedding, but we were a few months old then," Henry explained.

"Of course, that does make sense," Inga replied. "I heard that they went rock climbing once."

"Yes, I've heard a little bit about that. I think the trolls made a bigger impression on my father. That's the story he liked to tell us when we were little."

"What?" Inga was incredulous. "Father hardly ever takes anyone outside the family to see them."

"Oh, well," he chuckled. "It was the holidays, and he missed Mother quite a lot, and nobody else was around, and apparently there was some festival about rocks? It never quite makes sense."

"No, that doesn't make sense," Inga remarked. "Why wasn't your mother there? Where was she?"

"She was on a diplomatic tour with your aunt and mother," Henry replied matter-of-factly.

"Really? They didn't mention that." Inga paused, trying to make sense of the different stories she'd heard. "Then again," she added, mostly thinking aloud to herself, "I never asked them about that."

"What did you ask them about?" Henry asked her, jolting her a bit with the realization she had been speaking out loud.

"Well, not both of them," she backtracked a little. "I haven't asked my mother, but she and my aunt write to each other all the time, so it's almost the same thing." She was rambling, and worse, not sure whether she should be saying this, though she couldn't think of any reason she shouldn't. "And, sorry… I had asked my aunt if the trip was where she met Mrs. Nilsen, the mother of… well, her son is the secretary for your Ambassador to Arendelle."

"Always that Ambassador, huh?" Henry laughed. "But, I think your brother was telling me about him and his fiancee. Now that I think about it, I remember him, at least a bit. His family used to come around to the castle here when they were younger. I remember his brother was almost the same age, just a year older, and they wanted to put them both in the Navy, and the brother did go into the Navy, but your friend… I can't remember, but for some reason, I think he was supposed to go into the Palace Guard, and then there was some kind of bother when he didn't."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know, exactly. I'm slowly getting better at following along when my mother and grandparents are discussing things, but I was younger when it happened. I just remember my mother starting to tell them to please let her know about these things. She wasn't mad… at least, she seemed very calm about it. At any rate, then he went into the Diplomatic School, and I never heard about it again."

"I never heard him say anything about the Palace Guard. I thought he was going to study law," Inga remarked.

"You know," he laughed a little, "you might be right. I don't know if I trust my own memory sometimes."

"I didn't say anything!" she exclaimed defensively.

"Don't worry about it," he sighed. "I should have a long time to improve myself. Though I suppose all this fuss today means that unlike your brother, I don't have time to grow up any more."

"If it makes you feel better," Inga offered, "you'd have three more years in Arendelle."

"Um, thanks?" he twisted his lips, looking straight ahead again. "I guess it serves me right fishing for compliments."

She glared at him, but he wasn't looking at her. She tried to think of something to say, and was starting to move her hand over to get his attention, when she heard someone coming out to the balcony, startling her a bit.

"Henry! There you are!" Hilde was smiling. "The music has started! You and I are expected out there!" She looked over and giggled a bit. "Inga, you'll probably disappoint some people if you don't follow us!"


	21. The Ball

_The clock in the hall struck midnight. The sky was dark. The remains of the last Winter snow were piled here and there around the courtyard. The castle was empty except for the Queen and the staff. Queen Elsa knocked at the door. There was commotion on the other side. The door opened._

"_Your Majesty! Did you ring for me? I'm terribly sorry, but I was asleep," Kai sputtered._

"_No," Elsa replied. "Sorry, I didn't want anyone else woken up. I know you've personally vetted all the new staff, but-"_

_"Of course," he breathed in relief, waiting expectantly. _

_"As you know, Kai, there is a ship in the harbor leaving first thing in the morning for Corona."_

_"Yes, of course," he replied. "Her husband boarded this evening, as you saw."_

_"Indeed," she affirmed. "Now, I need you and Gerda to go to Margit Nilsen and tell her it's time. She should have nearly everything ready to go. Please help her with anything that remains and get her and her baby quietly on to the ship."_

_"As you wish," he promised._

_"Kai, there is one more thing." Elsa spoke hesitantly. "I will be on that ship, too."_

_"I understand, Your Majesty," he acknowledged as the Queen turned and left._

* * *

Elsa sat deep in thought poking at the remains of her dinner when she smelled the freshly baked chocolate cake being brought out. She set her fork down and a servant quickly came by to remove the plate. As she waited for the cake to be cut and brought around, she noticed Lady Amelia of Wesselton bring Elizabeth back inside. Lady Amelia introduced her to a young Wesselton admiral. Elizabeth looked slightly uncomfortable, but she seemed to hold her own at the conversation.

"Did I miss dessert?" Frederick said as he suddenly reappeared at the table. Elsa chuckled, gently pointing out the servants only beginning to deliver slices.

"Did you leave your sister alone out there?" Elsa asked him.

"No, she's fine," he told her. "Prince Henry is out there with her."

Elsa raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Their cake was served just then. Elsa and her nephew ate in silence. As Frederick accepted the second dessert being brought around, Elsa excused herself to walk around. Elizabeth was still stuck in conversation with the Admiral, and the musicians were preparing to start the first waltz. Elsa could see the Queen hurriedly whispering to her granddaughter, who then rushed out to the balcony to find her brother. As Elsa returned to the table to keep an eye on her nephew, she saw a flustered looking Prince Henry rush past her, followed by Hilde, who glanced behind to make sure that Inga was coming inside.

"Aunt Elsa, there you are!" Inga looked like she was going to hug her, but her skirt got in the way.

"Inga, is everything okay?"

Inga scrunched her face a little, but Elizabeth came over before she could speak.

"Inga," Elizabeth spoke with a cheerfulness that sounded forced. "I promised the Admiral over here that he could have the first dance with you."

"But…" Inga began.

Elizabeth moved closer to Inga and whispered just loud enough for Elsa to overhear. "Please! I don't want to dance with him. Lady Amelia didn't tell him I'm engaged, and he's a little too interested… Help me out!"

Inga nodded, glancing around before speaking. "Elizabeth, why don't I get Frederick. He'd probably love to dance with you!"

Elizabeth smiled with understanding, and went to inform Lady Amelia of the plan. Elsa followed her niece back to the table. Frederick groaned slightly at not getting a choice in the matter, but he admitted it would be better than some of the other ladies looking to dance, and went straight away to Elizabeth.

Inga held back, and looked hesitantly at Elsa.

"Inga," Elsa gently prodded. "It's only one dance. It could be worse."

"Oh," her niece mumbled. "It's not that. But, um… Save me some dessert, please? I'll be right back after this dance."

"Fine," Elsa smiled as Inga went to be introduced to the Wesselton Admiral.

* * *

By the end of the waltz, Inga could admit that the Admiral was a tolerable dancer. He seemed sufficiently awed by Inga's position that he kept up polite conversation with her, but seemed to have no further intentions. Inga's attempts to steer the conversation to learn more about Wesselton or at least its navy were thwarted by the Admiral's occasional distracted glances in the direction of her aunt causing him to lose his train of thought.

As the first dance came to a close, Inga took her first chance of polite escape and sat down next to Elsa to claim her piece of cake. Inga slowly poked at her slice until the music started up again. She saw that Frederick was now dancing with Hilde, and Prince Henry had taken over dancing with Elizabeth. Swallowing the bite she had just taken, she glanced around quickly, and then turned to Elsa.

"Aunt Elsa," she began. Elsa looked at her and nodded silently. "I was wondering about… well… about several things. I was talking with Prince Henry outside, and-"

"Are you sure I'm the best person to ask?" Elsa interrupted.

"About Lars? I mean, I know you only met him a little while ago, but you've known his mother longer," Inga sighed. "I'm not entirely sure, but… Henry was telling me something about how he remembered that Lars was originally supposed to be in the Palace Guard here, and I just found that… odd. But he was telling me several things that seemed odd. So, I guess, I was just wondering if you knew anything about it, since the other night you had been talking with Princess Rapunzel for quite some time, it seemed..." Inga trailed off.

"Oh," Elsa breathed a little, then seemed to stiffen again. "That's what you wanted to ask about."

"Yes, what did you think I wanted to ask about?"

"Nothing," Elsa smiled. "What was it that Henry said about Lars?"

"Well…" Inga stopped to remember what she had already said. "Henry was saying his mother seemed bothered when Lars was selected for the diplomatic school instead. Why would she care?"

"She told me it was unexpected," Elsa stated.

"Why was she concerned at all?"

"She was looking out for his family."

"Really?" Inga tried to keep her voice quiet. "But didn't they arrive here from Arendelle just before Lars was born? And Lars mentioned his mother got a pension from Arendelle, too."

"She… her family… they were of service to Arendelle." Elsa took a moment before continuing. "There was also a promise from the Crown Princess to look after them when they arrived."

"Oh, of course, I suppose, but the pension, I don't rememb-" Inga stopped as she saw Prince Henry approaching, looking directly at her.

Elsa looked over her shoulder and smiled as she turned back to Inga. Inga did her best not to show any emotion, attempting a polite smile. She realized she still had cake left, and began to eat it again.

"If… if you're still having dessert, I can wait," Henry stammered, beginning to turn around. Inga was about to nod in agreement while her mouth was still full of cake.

"I'll watch your cake for you, Inga," Elsa offered, smiling at her in a way she wasn't used to seeing. Inga wondered why her aunt wasn't reminding her that this was only one dance, the way she had with the admiral earlier.

Inga set her fork down and reluctantly stood up. Henry smiled and offered his hand, which Inga took, and followed him down. His hand was warm, and it felt like he was holding back, even though his grip was strong. She found herself smiling in spite of herself.

A polka was announced. Inga had hoped for any other kind of dance, though usually this was one of her favorites, but right now it felt like too much. With the Admiral, she was able to go through the motions of the waltz without being bothered, and she had a much easier time breathing, now that she thought about it. As the music started up, she felt Henry's hand firmly on her back, and he led her into the dance.

She tried to think of things to say, but each spin around, she lost her concentration, and it was all she could do to watch him and follow his lead. In the bright lights of the hall, she could see that his eyes clearly were gray. He had shaved today, but of course he had. He was on display. The music seemed to continue forever, and she kept up, but she felt increasingly dizzy and lightheaded. She hardly noticed when the music stopped, except that Henry had stopped. As he released her, she stumbled, and she felt his arm grab subtly under her elbow to steady her.

"Thanks," she whispered, briefly looking at him, then looking to see if anyone else was watching.

"I'm sure you want to get back to dessert now," he smiled. She looked back at the table.

"No, I'm not actually that hungry," she admitted. "But I think I need some air."

"We can go back to the balcony, if you like," he offered. She nodded and walked outside with him, his hand still on her arm.

She still felt lightheaded, but just outside the door to the balcony there was a bench, which she hadn't noticed before. As he let go of her arm, she sat down a little too quickly, and had a moment of panic when she realized just how narrowly she had avoided causing her skirts to fly up. She closed her eyes and nervously smoothed out the fabric.

She opened her eyes to look out at the sky. The city lights were dazzling. Henry was standing a few feet away, leaning on the doorway.

"You should trust your own memory a little better," she said as she looked out at the city.

"What do you mean?" he asked, a little startled.

"I asked my aunt about… about the thing with the guards. You did remember correctly."

"Oh," he breathed, looking over at her. "You know, if you want, I'd be happy to tell you more."

"Maybe," she found herself saying. "But I need to figure a lot of things out." Inga still had the feeling that while her aunt had told her the truth, something had been left out.

"How long do you have?" he asked. "I mean, before you sail back."

"I think we're supposed to leave tomorrow," she told him. "But it might be the day after that, since we have so many people coming back with us, and I think the captain we hired suspects that our luck with the wind will continue on the return journey, so we can give people a little more time to pack."

"That seems like a bit of a gamble on his part," Henry sniffed.

"I'm pretty sure he's making a safe bet," Inga laughed. "Maybe I'll explain that to you some time."

"I think I understand the basics of sailing," he said firmly, though he looked a little confused.

"That's not what I meant," she blurted. "But never mind."

"Well," he sighed. "I wish you were staying longer." As his eyes met hers, Inga felt slightly dizzy again, but took a deep breath and collected herself.

"I could write, if you like," she offered. "I take care of a lot of the official correspondence, anyway, it's not like anyone would notice if I'm writing a few extra letters." Inga wasn't sure why she had said the last part out loud.

"I'd like that," he smiled. "You know-"

Frederick had just walked out to the middle of the balcony and was looking around.

"Inga? There you are!" Frederick exclaimed after having first looked every direction except back by the door. "Aunt Elsa wants to know if you're going to finish your dessert."

"Oh…" Inga stood up. "I think I will finish it. Tell her I'll be right there, thanks!" Frederick ran back inside.

"Um, good night, then?" Henry stood looking at her.

"Good night?" she blinked. "Is it getting that late?"

"No, just… I don't know." He looked inside at the dancing.

"Well, I might be up for one more," she offered. "After this next one. I really should finish the cake after all that fuss."

* * *

Two dances had passed since Inga had gone outside. Elsa had made pleasant conversation with the King and Queen, who admired her niece and nephew, and asked after the rest of the family. Then she found herself talking to Arendelle's own ambassador to Corona, who was quite eager to arrange lunch the following day along with Inga and Frederick, and didn't even seem put out by having been ignored so far on their visit, at which point Elsa felt obliged to agree to the lunch.

Frederick returned to the table after a second dance with Elizabeth, who had arranged things so that the Wesselton Admiral had conveniently met up with Princess Millicent of Maldonia who was eying Frederick for a dance.

"Are they actually out of cake?" he pouted, looking at his sister's abandoned slice.

"I'm sure you can find something," Elsa told him.

"I suppose I'm actually more thirsty than anything," he admitted. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "So, do you think I'm 'safe'?"

Elsa blinked and stared at her nephew. "What do you mean?"

He looked back earnestly. "That's what Elizabeth told me while we were dancing. She said I was safe. I don't know, I mean, I never step on anyone's feet. At least, not in a long time. I'm sure Inga will tell you how many times I stepped on her feet."

Elsa looked at him and smiled, laughing gently. "What else did she tell you?"

"Oh, not much," he said, fiddling with his empty glass. "She was mostly saying that she didn't want to dance tonight. I told her I would be fine with not dancing if she didn't want to, and that's when she told me I was safe and she'd be happy to keep dancing."

"Well, I suppose you are a bit like your father sometimes," his aunt smiled. He looked at her skeptically. "But, Frederick, do you know where your sister is?"

"I'll go find her," he said, jumping up.

Elsa watched him head out to the balcony. Hilde was talking with Princess Millicent Maldonia, and Elsa could see Hilde watching as Frederick went out on the balcony, whispering something to the other princess. Inga came back inside, and caught Elsa's eye, heading straight back to the table, sitting down and promptly finishing her dessert. They both watched as Prince Henry danced with the princess from Maldonia. Elizabeth was nervously talking to the King and Queen. There was a brief intermission following the dance, during which some sorbets were brought out, as well as some more drinks. Frederick reappeared for the sorbet.

"Where were you hiding?" Inga asked him.

"I never came inside," he laughed. "Was anyone looking for me? I think I've had enough dancing for tonight. What about you? You've been hiding a lot."

"No, I wasn't," she insisted. "You found me right away. Anyhow, you can breathe in what you're wearing, I can't. Though I'm amazed that anything still fits you."

"Mother said I'd grow into this, and I guess she was right," he shrugged.

A quadrille was announced as the musicians got ready to play again. Henry came back over, and Inga went eagerly, saying she could handle a quadrille, but then she really would need to call it a night. Frederick had gotten up to leave, but got snatched up by the Maldonian princess to complete the group of couples opposite Inga and Henry. Elsa watched as they moved in formation. She couldn't be certain at her distance from the dancers, but she could swear that Frederick was making faces at Inga every time they passed each other. Elsa sighed and rubbed her forehead.

As the dance ended, more drinks were passed around. The young dancers each took one, and stood off to the side talking and laughing. Inga seemed quiet, but not unhappy by any means, aside from an occasional glare at her brother. At some point, she noticed Inga whispering at Frederick, pointing at his glass. Elsa decided to get up and check on them.

"I think Frederick needs to go to bed," Inga told Elsa as soon as she drew close.

"I'm fine!" he whined, coming a little too close to yelling.

"I think your sister is right," Elsa told him. He pouted a little, but didn't protest.

"Inga, how much longer will you stay?" Elsa asked.

"I'll be right up as soon as I'm finished with my drink," she promised.

Elsa took Frederick to his room, quickly wishing Rapunzel a good night on her way, and asking her to keep an eye on Inga.

* * *

_Inga found herself dancing again with Prince Henry. This time, as the dance came to a close, he whisked her away in his arms, through the halls of the Corona palace. They were running together now, through a garden, then up a path overlooking the fjord... _

_The fjord? It somehow made sense. He kissed her, and she closed her eyes, sinking into his embrace. When she opened her eyes to look at him again, it was no longer Henry, not the brown hair and grey eyes she had carefully studied during the dance at the ball, but a man with red hair and green eyes, sneering at her. _

_It was snowing, and she found Lars. He led her back to the palace in Corona. Frederick was there. She tried to ask what was going on, but there was too much confusion. She tried to find her parents. She seemed to be running in circles. Finally, she spotted them in a far corner of the room, and began to run, but Lars was blocking the way_.

Inga woke with a start. She grasped at the few persistent images she could remember from her dream. Was any of it real? She had been dancing that evening. Everything else was muddled in her head. She looked outside. The sky was completely dark. She had noticed the thinnest of crescent moons setting just after sunset the night before. She had forgotten most of the details of her dream already, but now she remembered some of the questions she'd had the evening before. Henry knew things, she realized, but he obviously didn't know enough to realize there was anything to hold back, unlike her aunt. She lit the lamp by her bed and went to get some paper to start a letter.

* * *

Inga stood in the hallway, not sure where to go. She had just returned from lunch with Ambassador Larsen from Arendelle, who had accompanied Inga back to the castle as far as the door to her personal office, where she needed to go to prepare for a meeting in an hour. Elsa had gone to check on Mrs. Nilsen as well as Elizabeth's family. Frederick had immediately returned to his room to change out of the suit he had worn for lunch. Inga felt fine, despite the late night at the party, and sleeping til nearly noon, when Elsa had woken her up to get ready for lunch. She felt out of sorts from her memories of the dream the night before, and trying to remember which things actually happened at the party. While she was thinking about this, she heard footsteps.

"There you are," Prince Henry nearly shouted. She turned around as he stopped a few feet from her, looking somewhat flushed. Inga supposed it was probably from rushing down the hallway, though she was still trying to remember which of her memories from the night before were only from her dream, and which actually happened at the party.

"Hi," she replied, putting her hand into her pocket. Inside, before she'd left for lunch, she'd placed the letter she'd written to Prince Henry when she had awoken from her dream in the middle of the night. She pulled it out. "Here, um, I was going to mail this, but I might as well hand it to you, since you're here. It's… not that interesting. Or, um, not like that… Don't get the wrong idea."

"Oh," he muttered, looking a little confused. Inga handed the letter over rather awkwardly, and he ended up brushing her fingers as he took it.

"I hope… did you sleep well? I suppose everyone was up rather late." Inga grimaced at the words she found herself saying.

"Um," he hesitated, "I really don't remember… I mean, I didn't get to sleep as long as I would have liked. We pretty much got dragged out of bed for an early meeting."

"That seems like poor planning," Inga laughed in spite of herself.

"That's what I told them. They didn't appreciate the suggestion," he smiled.

"So, do you have to be at the meeting with Ambassador Larsen?" she asked him.

"From Arendelle, oh, yes, that is next, isn't it?" he seemed distracted.

"I won't hold you up," she told him. "You can write back whenever you have time."

She started to turn.

"Wait," he said, grabbing her hand, letting it go almost immediately, but grabbing something out of his vest pocket. "Here," he said, thrusting it into the palm of her hand.

She looked down. "Your photograph?" she asked, confused, looking at the small framed miniature, which resembled the sort they received from other kingdoms all the time.

"Um… it's an extra, one of the official ones we took for this."

"Thanks, I don't remember if we have one," she admitted, feeling her cheeks getting warm.

"I figured you didn't," he laughed. "So maybe if you see me again, you'll know who I am."

"And what about you?" she snapped back, smiling a bit.

"You'll need to send me a picture where you're not ten years old," he replied.

"I'll see what we can do about that," she promised. "You'll have to remind me."


	22. Home

Anna walked into the bedroom with a letter. "Elsa says they'll be returning in three days."

"That will be nice," Kristoff whispered as he stood by the window rocking the baby.

"She asks if the bishop will be available," she commented wrinkling her nose, "that's odd."

"What? Inga was set against the…matchmaking." Kristoff barely avoided raising his voice.

"Huh?" Anna looked confused. "No, no… Elizabeth's family is returning with them, as well as that young man's mother, you know, what's his name? The one who works for Corona's ambassador."

"Oh," Kristoff sighed in relief, bouncing a little more to settle the baby again. "That makes sense. You've had enough meetings now. What do you think of him?"

"I don't know," she mused. "He's very professional, which means he hardly talks, since I'm meeting with the Ambassador. There's something about him, though. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I should have met him when he didn't have so much work to do."

Kristoff smiled. "He does take himself seriously. Perhaps we can convince the Ambassador to give him a week off and lend the cabin as something of a wedding present."

"How will His Excellency manage?" Anna laughed.

* * *

Inga leaned out over the front of the ship, trying to take deep breaths. She could still feel the motion in spite of the ginger candy that Elizabeth's mother had given her. _It works wonders, _she had assured Inga. It had helped her somewhat. She didn't feel absolutely sick, as long as she didn't try to actually do anything other than stare off into the distance. She saw something flutter in the corner of her vision.

"Aunt Elsa?" she asked without moving her head.

"Inga, how are you feeling?" her aunt answered, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"Better," she mumbled. "Did you tell mother how miserable I've been?"

"I'll let you do that yourself," her aunt promised, "and if you're fine here, I'll leave you alone now."

Inga nodded as her aunt left, and felt just well enough to sit on a bench along the wall behind her, and dozed in and out. She thought of the conversation with Henry, and how his father had stayed in Arendelle while his mother traveled with her mother and aunt. But why had she never heard about any of that before? It made no sense. It may not have been the most exciting of trips, but Henry's father had found it worth sharing. Inga could hear the waves crashing, and occasionally hear people walking by, but wasn't always sure if she was awake or asleep.

"...and you can return to Arendelle now," Elsa was saying to someone as Inga began to be aware of her surroundings again.

"That's true, I suppose. Are you sure no one would find it… odd?" Inga heard Mrs. Nilsen ask, but she wasn't sure when she had joined her aunt up on the top deck.

"No, and I'll make sure Kai is aware of it…" Elsa began to assure her as they walked away, their voices fading into the sound of the waves crashing.

Inga sat up slowly and watched the two walk around the back of the ship. She thought about finding Elizabeth and her sisters, but decided to close her eyes first, and quickly dozed off again.

* * *

Anna sat back and drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. She wasn't sure her presence was actually needed at this meeting. She would sign off on continuing the ongoing relationship with the Corona Navy that they were currently discussing. She had given up on getting any update on the new succession bill, especially since now she was "out of danger," as they liked to put it. She was sure that at some point in the next year or two one of the council members would propose a compromise measure of some sort that would satisfy no one completely but which she would end up signing for lack of any alternative.

Arendelle's Fleet Admiral was standing at one end of the table emphasizing his argument. "I believe that we should phase out our payments to Corona, now that Arendelle's navy is-"

"But, Admiral, with all due respect, Arendelle's navy-" Corona's ambassador began.

"Your Excellency," Captain von der Decken interrupted, "I do believe that Arendelle's navy is no longer, as our own admiral had once impoliticly put it, hardly worthy of a coast guard. Please excuse me, Admiral, I mean no offense, but you know what I'm talking about."

"No offense taken, Captain," the Admiral replied. "I understand that Arendelle has relied on the Corona Navy for quite a while now, and we could make faster progress on Arendelle's navy if we didn't have to send so much money to Corona. There hasn't been a direct attack on Arendelle for decades. Why are we still paying out pensions?"

"With all due respect, Admiral," the Ambassador said, glancing between his secretary and the lieutenant who was taking notes for the Captain, "death in battle is not the only reason to pay out a pension."

"Excuse me, Your Excellency, Admiral," Anna spoke up, looking at her fleet admiral and the ambassador, "I was not aware we were paying pensions to Corona. Would one of you kindly explain the arrangement?"

"Your Majesty," the Admiral spoke first, "your sister made the arrangement near the beginning of her reign. I believe it was for… delicate reasons, as you might understand."

"I see," Anna replied, instantly thinking of at least a dozen reasons her sister might have done this, none of which she wanted to bring up with so many people around. "In that case, we should honor prior agreements, but I believe there is no reason to agree to any new payments."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the Admiral nodded.

"Your Excellency," Anna looked to the ambassador. "Do you have any objections to this?"

"No objections, Your Majesty," the Ambassador conceded. His secretary shifted in his seat slightly, glancing at the Captain and lieutenant.

"Very well," she told them. "If no one has any urgent business, I declare this meeting adjourned."

The council nodded, and began to gather their things. Anna walked over to the men from Corona.

"Your Majesty!" the Ambassador exclaimed as he saw her approaching.

"Your Excellency," she acknowledged, "I was actually hoping to speak with your secretary, briefly, although I suppose it affects you, too."

"Your Majesty?" the young man asked, looking up from his scrawled papers.

"I see His Excellency didn't pick you for your penmanship," she smiled. The Lieutenant and captain both laughed loudly, startling Anna a bit. "Oh, yes, you're his brother, aren't you?" she asked, turning around.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Lieutenant replied. "And if this is related to what I think it's related to, the Captain here is probably also interested."

"Oh?" she questioned. "I mean, of course. You're Elizabeth's father, aren't you? I've been hearing nice things about her. My daughter Inga doesn't… she doesn't exactly make friends easily, so please take that as high praise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the Captain smiled. "I understand that your sister will be returning with my wife and other daughters?"

"Yes, that is what she told me. And, of course, your daughter isn't yet twenty-one, so she'll need your approval, but my sister will also make sure all arrangements happen smoothly."

"My wife and I both approve of the match," the Captain agreed, then gesturing at Lars and the Lieutenant, "and I can't imagine that their mother will find any objection, either."

"Ah, of course," she looked over to Lars. "I understand you're not yet twenty-one, either?"

"No, Your Majesty," Lars nodded.

She looked and saw the ambassador beginning to exit the room. "Your Excellency," she called over, "one last thing, would you be willing to give the young man some time off?"

"Your Majesty?" the Ambassador asked in confusion. "Do you wish to deprive me of my private secretary?"

"Well, Your Excellency," Anna addressed him, doing her best to remain serious, "it's usually customary to give a couple some time to themselves when they get married."

"Well, yes, but-"

"You see," she interrupted him, "my husband would like to gift them a week in the cabin we own near here, for something of a honeymoon."

"I see, Your Majesty. If His Highness wishes it, I will not object," the Ambassador conceded.

Lars stood, astonished.

"If Mr. Nilsen doesn't object," Anna added.

"Of course not, Your Majesty," he replied. "Thank you."

"I'm not the one you should be thanking," she smiled.

"Your Majesty," the Ambassador interjected, "with all due respect, this will complicate my job during that time."

"Mr. Meyer," the Captain called to the Ambassador with a laugh, "I'd be willing to part with my lieutenant for a week. He doesn't quite have the education of his brother, but you'll have less eye strain from reading his notes."

"There," Anna spoke up, "I believe everything is settled now. I wish you all a good evening."

* * *

Lars sat with his brother at Hudson's Hearth, where they had met for dinner several times over the last few weeks.

"I hope you don't mind working for the Ambassador for a week," Lars laughed.

"Why, is there anything I need to worry about?" Karl asked him.

"Oh, not really," Lars told him, "he's not quite as pompous in person as he is at official functions. Watch what you say, though. He definitely fancies himself as some kind of schemer."

"All he can learn from me is the workings of the Corona navy," his brother scoffed. "And if he hasn't learned anything about Arendelle from you, he's certainly not going to learn anything from me."

A young man brought them each a glass of beer. They quietly toasted before taking a drink.

"Do you remember any of Mother's stories?" Lars asked. The question had been nagging at him since he'd first started talking to people around Arendelle.

"Nothing more than you remember. I told you in the letter after you wrote about it last month, and my answer isn't going to change. And I don't remember Father, either, since I'm sure that's what you'll ask next. After all, I wasn't even a year old," Karl sighed. "You know, of course, the most likely thing is that Mother and Father were rather ordinary and unknown."

"And our father chose a good time to die, I suppose," Lars smirked.

Karl raised an eyebrow. "That's kind of dark even for you, Lars." He took another swig of beer. "True, though."

"You think I'm dark?" Lars prodded.

"Not with Mother, I know, and I'm pretty sure you don't talk like that with Elizabeth," his brother assured him. "Nothing wrong with a dark joke now and then, but that's why I'm in the navy and you're the diplomat: You know when a joke is in poor taste."

They sat silently drinking their beers.

"So, Karl." Lars broke their silence. "When are you getting married?"

"Who would I marry?" Karl smirked.

"Is there anyone?"

"Perhaps," Karl winked. "I'm in a good position now. That's one thing, really. It doesn't matter if Mother and Father weren't important. You and I have done well for ourselves. Life isn't always like the novels Elizabeth has you reading. Some things aren't actually that interesting."

"You're dodging my question, aren't you?" Lars laughed.

"No, not really. Like I was saying, some things aren't that interesting. I suppose I'll be more like our father, and wait a little longer to find someone to settle down with. We can't all be hopeless romantics, you know."

* * *

The ship arrived in Arendelle that Monday morning, right on schedule. Inga was once again eager to get back on dry land, and wasn't sure she ever wanted to return to sea. Frederick still loved everything about sailing, and was itching to get back to it as soon as he could find an excuse.

The entire Royal Family was waiting when they got off the ship. There was some noisy confusion as no one could decide who to run up and hug first. Questions and declarations were shouted over one another, and no one could quite remember what had been asked and answered. The trunks were carried off the ship to the castle, and the family slowly made their way back.

Elizabeth's family reunited more quietly. Her father walked over from his ship, and made sure to send Lieutenant Nilsen to fetch his brother away from the ambassador so that Mrs. Nilsen could see both of her sons at once.

Mrs. Nilsen was overwhelmed to see them when they arrived at the harbor. It had been entirely too long since she had seen Karl, and she wasn't used to going so long without seeing Lars. She remarked on how much had changed since her days there. Elizabeth's mother and sisters had followed their father on a tour of the town, but Elizabeth stayed back.

"Mrs. Nilsen," Elizabeth prompted, "where did you live before you left Arendelle? Lars and Karl have no idea."

"Oh," she hesitated. "It wasn't much. So much has changed, I don't know if I'd even recognize it."

"But surely you remember where it was!" Elizabeth insisted, "And it couldn't have been far. They said you lived in town. Maybe you can show us? Lars, wouldn't you like to see?"

Lars looked at Elizabeth, then at Mrs. Nilsen. "Yes, I've been using some of my free time walking around trying to guess. I've gotten Karl into it, too."

"If everyone else wants to, I'll come along," his brother declared.

"Very well, my dears," she sighed, "it was this way."

Lars and Karl looked at each other and turned and followed their mother as she walked along the harbor to a row of low doors. They were brightly painted, and there were planters with bright summer flowers separating the homes from the street.

"It's this one," Mrs. Nilsen gestured at the third door in. "It hadn't been painted in several years when we lived there, and the entire street was less… decorated."

"It looks quite cozy," Elizabeth offered, trying to think of something positive to say.

"It was," Mrs. Nilsen smiled, then looked distracted. "Of course, once Jan died, even keeping up a place this small was going to be a stretch."

"Were you not always sure of having the pension?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, of course, once the pension was secured…" she trailed off. After a moment, she perked up. "Karl, perhaps we should let these two catch up a bit more?" She took Karl's arm, and directed him to walk with her along the harbor, leaving Lars and Elizabeth alone.

"She still gets sad about that, doesn't she?" Elizabeth mused.

"It was difficult," Lars speculated as they walked the opposite direction. "That was really more than she's said in, well, probably twenty years."

"I thought she talked about the past with you," Elizabeth spoke, thinking out loud more than anything.

"She'd tell stories and sometimes sing songs, but not much about day to day life."

They walked quietly, arm in arm, back toward the castle. Elizabeth noticed a bright red leaf on one of the trees.

"I don't think I've seen the leaves change this early in Corona," she remarked as they crossed to the castle.

"If you look up in the mountains, you can see a lot more," he commented.

"We'll have to try to get up there before it's too cold, if you have time," she smiled.

"Actually," he blushed, "I'm going to get an entire week off after the wedding, and we get to stay in the royal family's cabin."

"We… just… you and me?"

"Who else do you want on our honeymoon?" he laughed, kissing her forehead.

* * *

Inga sat on the bench in the garden, with Sofia and Marie crowding her. Sofia asked most of the questions, but Marie was listening intently, fascinated by everything. Sofia was determined to have her older sister show them every new item of clothing, but for now, Inga was more than happy to enjoy the garden, especially when the weather wouldn't allow it for much longer.

Frederick was with Peder and Anton at their favorite climbing tree actively miming the sailing techniques he had learned on the trip. Inga watched with interest, not having been able to enjoy the actual thing.

"The Bishop wants to meet with them tomorrow," Inga heard her mother say. "Isabel is marrying the Captain of the Guard in a few days, so the Bishop's schedule is a bit busy."

"And don't forget Peder and Anton's birthday party on Saturday. They were telling me all about it," Inga piped in.

"Oh, I suppose so," her mother replied. "But that's not the Bishop's concern."

"And I suppose they're not going to schedule the wedding quite that soon," Inga allowed.

The next morning, the Bishop had his meeting with Lars and Elizabeth, along with Mrs. Nilsen and Captain and Mrs. von der Decken. If their parents had any concerns, they didn't express them. Since both were underage, not yet being twenty-one, they would need their parents' consent, but the Bishop was satisfied and the wedding was scheduled for the following week on Tuesday.

Outside, Inga was responsible for introducing Elizabeth's sisters to the General and Halima's wards. They began talking with each other almost instantly, except for Meibel, who was busy listening to Frederick's stories of their trip, which seemed to focus almost exclusively on sailing. The older girls made sure that they would all be at each wedding the coming week, and Elizabeth's sisters agreed to come to the twins' birthday party, since Isabel, Kate, and Edith wanted some company, and it would be something to do in between the weddings.

"So, Inga," Diana spoke up, touching Inga's arm, nearly startling her. "When can we expect your wedding?"

"Huh?" Inga blinked in surprise. "I have no idea what-"

"What's this?" Edith interrupted excitedly.

"No, no…" Inga protested.

"Well, Edith," Diana explained, "from what I heard-"

"What did Elizabeth tell you?" Inga cut in.

"Oh, we couldn't get anything out of our sister," Ruth laughed, "but practically everyone else was talking about Prince Henry sneaking off during the ball with the princess from Arendelle."

Inga felt herself turning red. She racked her brain trying to remember if there had been anything besides going out on the balcony that anyone might comment on. Would they even say anything to her face? She knew that trying to deny anything or explain what actually happened would only make things worse.

"If there's any news, I'm sure you'll hear it before I do," she snapped.

She turned away in a huff, looking absentmindedly toward the castle gate. It was a relief to know Elizabeth hadn't gone spreading rumors. She didn't think her friend would be the sort to spread stories.

As she stared in the distance, Inga caught herself wondering when she would get a reply to her letter, and silently scolded herself. It wasn't like that, she reminded herself. She wrote the letter to him because there were things they could learn from each other. She didn't need to worry herself. People concocted stories out of thin air all the time.


	23. Weddings and Birthdays

Thursday morning was the highly anticipated wedding of the summer, which everyone in town was looking forward to: that of Captain Olsen of the Castle Guard and Isabel, the ward of General Mattias and Halima. Captain Olsen had lived in Arendelle his entire life. His father had also served in the Castle Guard, and Isabel had lived in Arendelle since General Mattias and Halima had taken her in as a young child, so the newlyweds knew nearly everyone. Following the wedding, there was a large party taking up all of Hudson's Hearth and spilling out into most of the surrounding square. Captain Olsen had been given two weeks leave for his honeymoon, and the General had arranged for a vacation cottage on one of the nearby islands belonging to one of his old colleagues for the couple to stay at during their honeymoon.

People asked Inga about her supposed upcoming wedding, which everyone seemed to be certain about except for herself. She had to assure her father multiple times that she had no plans of getting married anytime soon, and there wasn't actually any reason for people to think she was getting married, and she promised him that she'd tell him right away if there were any plans of that sort. Her aunt had assured her mother of just as much, even if Inga had the feeling that both of them thought that she was protesting a bit too much. Inga was at a loss of how much she could protest, anyway, and she was starting to realize she would never have any privacy on the issue, no matter what she decided.

"Hey, Inga," Frederick called over to her, "why is everyone saying you're getting married?"

She glared. "Because, I guess, nothing interesting actually happened this summer, either here or in Corona."

"But…" he began, then she saw a spark of understanding. "Oh…"

"Exactly," she laughed bitterly.

"So, when do I get to be a source of gossip?" he smiled, sitting down next to her.

"If you're lucky, never," she replied, scruffing his hair as she sat down.

* * *

At the first light of dawn on Friday morning, the newlywed Captain and Mrs. Olsen sailed to the island where they would be spending their honeymoon. Inga wished them well, and then did her best to avoid the questions she knew that Kate and Edith would be asking her after talking some more with Elizabeth's sisters.

Inga walked toward the Castle gardens, hoping she would be alone. Her brothers were out somewhere with her father, and her mother was especially busy since she had cleared her Saturday schedule entirely. Inga had offered to help, but her mother insisted she should rest, since travel was tiring. She would try.

"Oh, there you are, Inga!" Elizabeth exclaimed in hushed tones, grabbing her arm.

"Elizabeth? Why aren't you with your sisters?" Inga asked, somewhat startled.

"I'm…" she took a moment to think. "Inga, I'm really sorry they started spreading all those rumors!"

"It's… I know it's not your fault," Inga sighed and sat down on the nearby bench.

"I know my sisters sometimes get a little bit too… I don't know." Elizabeth seemed to be holding back what she wanted to say, but sat down next to Inga.

"Don't worry about it," Inga insisted. "I don't think it would even bother me if my aunt didn't seem to think there's something to it."

"Well, I can't blame people for jumping to conclusions," Elizabeth confessed, then blushed. "I know, there's nothing to it. Really, believe me!"

"What do you mean?" Inga asked skeptically.

"Just… Oh, nevermind. Don't worry about it," Elizabeth smiled at her like she knew something.

* * *

Anton and Peder's birthday celebration ended up being an all day affair. They began the day early, riding out with Frederick for a swim at their favorite pond, which they liked to think was a secret. Inga had gone with them when they were younger, but it had been years since she went along. No one ever told her to stop, but they never really wore swimsuits when they were there, and at some point she had decided to stay back. She wasn't particularly envious today, since it was already getting chilly in the mornings, but if her brothers wanted to go for an icy swim with no sauna nearby, that was their business.

When they returned from their swim, they took a bit longer than planned getting changed, since, much to their surprise, it was considerably colder than they had anticipated. The picnic lunch to be held in the garden was on hold waiting for them. Nanny had suspected this might prove a problem, and she had given the younger children an early lunch, so they were now playing without being fussy.

Inga sat at the edge of the blanket on the grass, mindlessly pulling up clover from the lawn, and twisting blades of grass into complicated knots, occasionally looking at Baby Linne lying on her stomach in the center of the blanket, making cooing sounds, and occasionally trying to look up. Her mother was sitting on the other side of the blanket, leaning back on her father's chest, his arm around her, and she started to doze a bit. The baby started to fuss, and Inga picked her up. Her mother seemed to be completely asleep now, so Inga thought it might be a good chance to ask one of the questions on her mind.

"Papa," Inga began, looking over to make sure he was paying attention, "I was going to ask you-"

"We're almost ready!" Frederick shouted, running outside, startling everyone. "Aunt Elsa and Olaf are getting Peder and Anton, and I told Gerda to bring the lunch out."

"Oh!" Anna laughed, now awake. "What time is it?"

"Sorry," Frederick apologized, sitting down at her feet, "it's almost one. I know lunch was supposed to be an hour ago!"

"At this rate, we'll hardly have time to eat before dinner," Inga said with an exaggerated sigh.

Inga turned the baby around to face everyone when the twins came outside. She thought the picnic lunch fit them very nicely: Nothing went according to plan, and everyone was inconvenienced. But this was enjoyable. Everyone sat around in the garden without any obligations or real worries. Nanny brought the younger children over as the sandwiches were brought out, and everyone took turns holding the baby so they all could eat.

"You know," Inga said between bites, "we really should get another portrait taken."

"Didn't we just get one?" her father asked. "What about the Christening?"

"That was just the baby," Anna explained. "Well, us and the baby, but-"

"When did we sit for that painting?" he continued.

"That was seven years ago."

Kristoff stopped to think. "But I thought last year-"

"That was for our anniversary, and it was just you and me, and that was nearly two years ago."

"Which anniversary was that?" Kristoff winked at her.

"Two years ago-" Anna began, then glared with an unimpressed smirk when she felt Kristoff beginning to laugh.

"What-" Inga began in confusion, looking between her parents. "Oh, nevermind!"

"Let's just get the photographer here!" Peder suggested. "We're all here."

"I'll see if he's in!" Frederick jumped up and ran toward the market square.

"Well, I guess that's settled then," Anna laughed. "Are we all presentable?"

A half hour later, Frederick had brought along the photographer, his assistant, and a young man from town who was happy to take the absurdly generous amount of money Frederick had naively offered to help them carry all the equipment to the Castle garden.

With some last minute tidying of clothes and hair, everyone managed to assemble for a proper photograph. Inga wasn't sure how they kept the younger children under control, but they all managed to look at the camera and not run away at the same time.

When the photographer was satisfied that he would have some acceptable family portraits for them to select, it was almost time for games and music in the courtyard, followed by dinner. Inga found her brothers' plans a little exhausting, but she was happy for them. She wasn't sure what she would have done if she had accepted her mother's offer of a party.

* * *

"Your Excellency," Anna greeted the Maldonian ambassador.

"Your Majesty," he replied, "may I introduce His Highness, Prince Tarkan of Maldonia."

"Your Majesty," the Prince bowed. "I had been told… um… I suppose I should put this delicately? I had been told that your eldest daughter usually was present at meetings?"

"Your Highness, that is generally true, but she is currently attending a friend's wedding. You'll have to excuse her absence. Now, what would you like to discuss?"

"Ah," Prince Tarkan hummed, "Well, I suppose I can still bring this up. I understand that your daughter is… currently unattached?"

"That is true, as far as I know," Anna answered, somewhat perturbed. "I don't know how this is relevant to any discussions we might have."

"Well, I realize you would not force her hand," he explained, "but I had hoped, perhaps, to be introduced."

"Your Highness," she sighed, "my daughter is not in seclusion. If you wish to meet her during your visit, that is your business, as long as you respect her wishes."

"Very well, Your Majesty," the prince bowed subtly.

"Thank you for your understanding," she replied. "Now, shall we continue with other matters? I understand your Ambassador was suggesting we consider importing citrus?"

* * *

Elsa stood with Inga outside the Cathedral on Tuesday morning, waiting for the other guests. Elizabeth was with her mother and sisters getting dressed. Elizabeth had shown Inga the dress the day before, and of course it was beautiful and had the finest fabrics, and Inga did her best to look like she knew the difference of the details. Nanny had the little ones, but Sofia had insisted on coming to the wedding, which was fine with everyone because she could sit with Meibel. Marie got upset at being left out, so Kate had volunteered to keep an eye on her during the ceremony.

Lars and his brother had arrived early, Lars in his best suit, and the Lieutenant in his dress uniform. The Captain paced around, checking the time occasionally. Frederick arrived to tell them that Kristoff had managed to get Peder and Anton wearing suits, and they would all be out shortly.

The ceremony went beautifully, considering how little time there had been for planning. Hudson's Hearth was again reserved for a wedding reception, though this time, all the guests fit nicely into the dining room. By late afternoon, Lars and Elizabeth were in a carriage on their way to the cabin in the mountains.

* * *

"How was the wedding?" Anna asked as Inga joined her in the study.

"It was nice," Inga smiled. "It really was. You should have attended. Everyone else did."

"I suppose," she sighed. "But the Prince of Maldonia just arrived yesterday, and he and their Ambassador had already scheduled a meeting with me. Besides, you all actually know them, I don't. Plus, I would have been a distraction."

"Oh, and my aunt isn't a distraction?" Inga smirked. "But, really, Mama, I would have thought you'd want to catch up with Mrs. Nilsen, too."

"Mrs. Nilsen? What do you mean?"

"Margit Nilsen, Lars's mother?" Inga clarified. "I thought you knew her. Elsa did. They've spent a lot of time catching up since we arrived in Corona."

"Elsa knew her? Where did she know her from?"

"I assume she knew Mrs. Nilsen before they left Arendelle and moved to Corona," Inga explained. "Though she wouldn't really give me a straight answer. I'd assumed you knew her, too, what with his family's service to Arendelle and all that."

"Service… to Arendelle?" her mother looked confused.

"That's why they have the pension, isn't it?" Inga asked.

"Is it officially a Naval pension?"

"She didn't say what it was, but I guess it might be?" Inga contemplated. "I suppose maybe with his brother in the Navy… All I really know is what Lars already told me, that they arrived in Corona before he was born, but after his father had died."

"Wait, when was he born?" her mother asked.

"He's twenty," Inga replied, feeling frustrated. "That's why his mother needed to come here if they were getting married, since he won't be of age until April."

"April twenty-fifth…"

"Really?" Inga scoffed. "You remember his birthday? You remember the strangest things sometimes."

"Oh," Anna mumbled, looking distracted, then shook her head. "Inga, why don't you get started with this stack of letters. I just remembered something I was going to ask Kai."

"I could go find him," Inga offered.

"No, no, it's simpler if I do. You take care of the correspondence." Anna got up and left the study, closing the door behind her.

Inga gave an exasperated sigh, and worked through the stack of correspondence.

A while later, Kristoff walked into the study without knocking. "Inga? Have you seen your mother?"

Inga kept her eyes on the letter she was writing. "She had to ask Kai about something, Papa."

"I saw Kai a minute ago, and he hadn't seen her," he sighed, rubbing his neck.

Inga looked up. "That's odd."

"Well," her father said, "if you see her, tell her I've gone to change out of this suit."

"Fine," Inga groaned, returning to the correspondence. "If you see Frederick, can you tell him I'd like a little help here?"

Kristoff raised an eyebrow. "If I see him, I will."

* * *

"Elsa?" Anna knocked on the door and pushed it open slightly.

"Come in," her sister answered from inside. "What is it?"

Anna carefully shut the door behind her. "Who is Margit Nilsen?"


	24. Unredeemable

_Queen Elsa approached the tiny house next to the harbor. Kai had told her where she would find it. Gerda had given her a plain cloak that would cover her almost completely, and she left quietly through a side door of the castle and walked into town, unnoticed. She knocked at the door which was barely tall enough for someone her height to enter comfortably. _

_A woman dressed all in black opened it. "Yes?"_

_"May I come in?" Elsa pulled down the hood of her cloak just enough for her face to be visible._

_"Your Majesty! Please! We have to be quiet." She gestured at the baby sleeping in its cradle._

"_Your name is Margit, yes?" Elsa asked._

"_Yes, Your Majesty, it is!" _

"_I… I heard about your husband. I'm so sorry," the Queen whispered._

"_Thank you, but you didn't need to… Why are you here? It's the middle of the night."_

"_I apologize. I did need to speak to you, though. Gerda, at the castle, I believe you know her at least a little?" _

"_Yes," Margit affirmed. "When I was younger, she would hire me for occasional mending work, after my mother died." _

"_She told me that you came to her this week looking for work, now that your husband…"_

_The woman sat down in the chair by the cradle and closed her eyes. "Yes. I told her that I need some work, but I have no one to take care of the baby. He's almost weaned. The midwife had suggested waiting til he's at least a year old, but I've seen plenty of children do fine younger. I need the money, your Majesty, but I want to work for it. I don't want to be reduced to begging. Or worse…"_

"_How old is your child now, Margit?" Elsa asked gently._

_Margit looked at the sleeping child with a sad smile. "He'll be seven months next week." _

_Elsa paused, thinking. "His birthday will be in March, correct?"_

"_Yes, your Majesty."_

"_I… I may have a solution for you." The Queen somehow looked both relieved and nervous._

"_Your Majesty?"_

"_If… if you find the terms agreeable, you would be well compensated."_

"_What terms?"_

"_Absolute silence and discretion. We… someone…" Elsa thought about her words carefully. "There will be need of a wet nurse."_

* * *

Anna faced Elsa, who hadn't answered her question. "Elsa," she repeated. "Who is Margit Nilsen? Is that why I got the letter from Corona?"

"I think you know," her sister sighed. "And you're the one who asked me not to tell you."

"You're right, I did…" Anna murmured, sitting down by the window.

"Did Inga say something?" Elsa asked.

"Not exactly, I mean, she did. She was surprised that I didn't already know Mrs. Nilsen. But it was his birthday. Until then, I think I was in denial. After all, you hadn't actually told me the baby was a boy."

* * *

_"Elsa?" Rapunzel knocked at the door of the study. "Is everything okay in there?"_

_"Are you sure about this?" Anna asked as Elsa walked to the door. "We hardly know her."_

_"We haven't come up with any other ideas… none that we agree on, anyway. If you're set against the trolls, it can't be here, we have to go abroad… you know that."_

_"Yes, and I want to know as little as possible. Just not… that way. No magic."_

_Elsa opened the door._

_Rapunzel looked around the room as she walked in. Princess Anna was sitting by the window, eyes red, but otherwise she appeared calm. "What's the matter?" _

"_I think I trust you," Elsa began, "it's a delicate situation, with… far reaching political implications."_

"_Is it that Prince Hans?" Rapunzel guessed. "Is he actually trying to push that marriage claim he made three months ago?"_

_All the remaining color drained from Anna's face. Elsa spoke up. "Not exactly, and… we're hoping that it doesn't come up. But we need your help. Are there places in Corona that someone could spend a few months and not draw any attention?"_

* * *

"Inga?" Frederick pushed open the door of the study. "Father said I should come help you?"

"Finally, thank you!" Inga exclaimed. "Mother just up and left on some errand, and I have no idea where she is or when she'll be back. You did well enough answering letters this summer, so I think you can be helpful."

"Thanks, I guess?" Frederick smirked. "I don't know if my French tutor would agree."

"You know I'm not going to tell you something that isn't true, right?"

"I know," he assured her, sitting down across from her. "Oh! Did I tell you? I ran into Admiral Sorensen after the reception, and he said that he could take me on a short run around the islands and see if I really know as much about sailing as I say I do."

"I think he'd be pleasantly surprised," Inga smiled. "Did you get a chance to ask Mother and Father if it's okay?"

"No, I've hardly had any time since we got back, and it sounds like I won't be asking them today," he admitted. "Now, tell me what to do here."

* * *

_It was officially announced: Queen Elsa of Arendelle and her sister, Princess Anna, would be taking a Grand Tour of nearby friendly nations to establish stronger diplomatic relations, with the help of the Crown Princess Rapunzel of Corona. Everyone knew what this meant: they intended to find a suitable husband for Princess Anna. They would leave before Christmas. There were never official confirmations of this, but the fact that the Queen intended to return to Arendelle by February, leaving her sister in the Kingdom of Corona through the spring, only seemed to confirm this._

* * *

The baby was asleep when Kristoff returned to the bedroom, so he quickly went to the bathroom to change. He was relieved to see the baby hadn't woken up when he reemerged, and collapsed on the bed.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when Anna walked in.

"Kristoff," she whispered, sitting down next to him on the bed.

"Anna?" he replied groggily. "Is anything wrong?"

"I've told Kai to cancel all my meetings tomorrow," she blurted out quickly as she sat down on the bed.

Kristoff sat up and looked at her. "Huh? Why? You're not already pregnant again… No, wait, that's impossible."

"No, no, of course not," she laughed weakly. She looked away and started crying.

"Now you really have me worried." He hugged her tightly.

"I…" Anna took a deep breath to collect herself before continuing. "I went to speak with Elsa… Inga told me something Elsa said about the trip to Corona, and…"

Kristoff looked at her in confusion, waiting for her to continue.

Anna looked up at him, her eyes red and wet. "Should I even tell you? What good would it even do?"

"You can tell me," he insisted. "What did Elsa say that's so awful?"

"No, it's not…" Anna struggled to find her words. "It's not about the trip this year."

Kristoff looked at her in confusion, trying to remember which trip she could be talking about. It had been years since Elsa had been on a trip abroad, and he had been on nearly every trip with Anna since he'd known her, except for one.

"That trip," Kristoff replied flatly.

* * *

_Kristoff watched as the ship sailed off. He believed Anna when she told him to wait for her, but there were still whispers around the castle and the town that the trip had another purpose. He had only known her for four months, it was fine, he told himself._

_"C'mon, Sven," he called out. He would wait for her, but not at the castle if he could help it._

_"Whoa there, I was told to keep an eye on you!" he heard a man call from behind._

_Kristoff turned around to see the husband of Anna and Elsa's somewhat distant cousin. He hadn't learned their names, but the sisters had become very close to their cousin in the last few months, having lots of conversations they wouldn't tell him about._

_"Really?" he asked skeptically. "Why?"_

_"Well, I don't know," the man admitted. "But those are my instructions. To be perfectly honest, I can't tell you why I'm not on that boat, but I trust there's a good reason."_

_"Fine. I'll stay," Kristoff huffed. Sven snorted in agreement._

_"Eugene," he said, sticking out his hand. Kristoff stared at him skeptically. "I mean, I'm kind of stuck here until your queen gets back…"_

_"Kristoff," he mumbled, reluctantly shaking hands. "So, what am I supposed to do?"_

_"Actually…" the other man paused. "Do you think you could show me the mountains?"_

"_Do I look like a tour guide?"_

* * *

Kristoff and Anna had been sitting in silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Anna remembered the letter she had received from Corona. She walked over and retrieved it from the back of her top dresser drawer, handing it silently to Kristoff when she returned to the bed.

_Corona, August 4th, 1864_

_To Her Majesty, Queen Anna of Arendelle,_

_I apologize for never personally writing in all the years since your coronation. I had been in regular correspondence with your sister before her abdication. I would say it was nothing personal, but I realize the time you spent in Corona with me was not something you wished to remember. I respected your wishes to remain in the dark on that matter, and kept your sister informed for two years until her abdication. I kept my promise up to a point regarding the matter, but there has been a change. I have heard that your sister is again visiting, and if you can show her this letter, I'm sure she will understand._

_Fondest Regards,_

_Crown Princess Rapunzel of Corona_

Kristoff stared at the letter. "The matter… she means?"

"Yes," Anna replied weakly.

"What changed?"

"There was supposed to be a job waiting with the Corona Palace Guards," she began. "That requires taking the Civil Service Examination, purely as a formality. But when someone gets a perfect score, the Diplomatic School is always interested…"

* * *

"_It's three in the morning, Elsa," Rapunzel mumbled groggily._

_"Sorry, I just woke the midwife. It's time. Is your husband here?"_

_"Yes, Eugene just arrived a few hours ago, why?"_

_"We should make sure that Mrs-" she looked around, and continued, "that the wetnurse is awake. You know where she's living now, I don't."_

_"Why don't I go?"_

_"I need someone ready to take the baby, and I'll stay here with my sister."_

_"I suppose you'll be returning home as soon as you can?"_

_"Yes, I've talked with the midwife about it. She'll let me know when it's safe. Can you make sure a ship is waiting? I don't want any attention."_

* * *

Kristoff sat staring out the window, the letter laying in his lap where he had dropped it minutes before, still trying to process what he had learned.

Anna broke the silence again. "I had convinced myself that I had forgotten about it. Everything was taken care of, and there was nothing to worry about, and no risk involved."

Kristoff was still looking out the window. "I know, when you first told me about it, you said you didn't want to know anything… but… you really had no suspicions?"

"Actually, I think I did. There was something about him. I realize that's why I made excuses about the wedding. But I didn't realize that's what I was doing. The name meant nothing to me, and it's not like we kept pictures around."

* * *

_Anna and Elsa sat silently in the study. The initial emotions from Anna's confession had subsided. _

_"Anna, would you be willing to get married?"_

_"What?"_

_"It would be an option. There might be some talk, but… It seems rushed, I know, especially with… with what I said before." Elsa stammered. "But he seems good. Kristoff, I mean."_

_Anna stared at her. "But we haven't… it's… I mean, I think I would like to, eventually, but not like this." _

"_Think about it," Elsa replied calmly._

_Anna sat for a few moments looking at one of the shelves of law books. "Elsa, are you planning to get married?"_

_"What does that have to do with this… with anything?"_

_"Because…" Anna took a breath. "If I get married now, any baby born will be legitimate, and unless you get married and… have your own, that means that… that he gets… He already could make a bigamy claim, you know, the law like it is. The timing of the pregnancy might be enough to get their attention down there. I don't want to see him again, any more than you do."_

_"Oh," Elsa sighed, taking a moment to contemplate. "You've had some time to think this through, I guess."_

* * *

Kristoff sighed, finally looking away from the window and directly at Anna. "So, who knows this?"

"Elsa, of course," she began. "I think Kai knows, too."

"Anyone else? Does… does _he_ know?"

"No, only Mrs. Nilsen, and she's been good to her word about not sharing her guesses about things. Part of the arrangement back then… I would know as little as possible about her, and she would know as little as possible about me. Elsa told her part of the truth now… not all of it."

They sat silently for a while.

"Well, I can see why your sister was suddenly interested in helping a wedding along this summer," Kristoff laughed feebly.

"What do you mean?" Anna looked at him blankly, then suddenly got his meaning. "Oh… Oh my, I hadn't thought of that. You don't think that was… No, Inga seemed to like Elizabeth well enough. Thank goodness for that."

They paused for a moment, the room silent except for the baby's snoring. Years of unspoken topics seemed to hang in the air.

Kristoff interrupted the quiet. "Now what?"

* * *

_Anna's knuckles turned white as her foot slipped. The rope caught her a foot above Kristoff's head._

_"You okay? Do you want to take a break and try again later?" Kristoff asked from below._

_"Let me… let me catch my breath. Sorry."_

_"Did I tie the rope too tight? I thought I was being careful this time."_

_"No…" she said, still trying to catch her breath, "I think maybe I laced too tight this morning. You probably didn't need to know that, sorry."_

_Kristoff had lowered himself to the ground and began to help Anna down._

_"Why would you even… I'm sorry, I really know nothing about these things…" Kristoff was flustered._

_"I guess… to look good… for you?" Anna stammered as Kristoff lifted her down and untied the rope. _

_"Do you… do you really think you have to?" _

_"I… want to… I wanted to wear this dress again, for you, but it doesn't really fit any more."_

_"I want you to breathe. I think breathing is good for you," he assured her. "And, um, I guess I should be flattered, but…"_

_"Sorry. It's stupid, I know. You're the one who suggested teaching me how to climb. I don't know what I was thinking… or, well, I know what I was thinking, but I don't know, it's been a year since I got back, and I shouldn't be talking about that, maybe…"_

_Kristoff held her shoulders and looked straight at her. _

_"It's not stupid," he said with a sigh, "it's just… oh, nevermind…"_

_He let go and turned around, picking things up and starting to pack the bags._

_"Wait…" Anna said nervously. _

_"What?" Kristoff stopped and turned around. _

_"I love you."_

"_I love you, too," he told her, pulling her into his arms._

_"But…" she pushed back a little. "I need to tell you something. Now. Before... anything else."_

* * *

"You sure write quickly," Frederick told Inga as they sat in the study going through the stacks of correspondence. He glanced absentmindedly at the letter on the top of the stack. "Should I take this one from Corona?"

Inga saw that it was addressed to her.

"Give me that," Inga said a little too roughly as she grabbed the letter from her brother.

"Fine, have it your way. I'll take on Luxembourg next," he sighed. "Do you know when Mother is getting back from whatever it was she needed to do? It's been two days. I've hardly seen Father, either. When is Aunt Elsa leaving? Olaf said he was going with her, too."

"I really don't know," Inga admitted. "Something was off… Everyone seems off right now." She shook her head. "Thanks for coming to help me this week. Your tutors can wait." She looked again at the address on the letter from Corona, and put it in her pocket unopened. She examined the stack of letters and took the next one.

"What was in the letter from Corona?" Frederick asked.

"What? Oh, no, I'll read it later," she demurred. She opened the new letter, quickly scanning it. "I hope Mother doesn't take too much more time. This one will need the council. Our ambassador to America just resigned. He took an offer of free farmland in… some place out west. The letter isn't even from him; his butler wrote it."

"Do you want to tell her, or should I?" Frederick asked.

"You get this one." She handed him the letter.


	25. Another Secret

As Frederick walked toward the family's wing of the castle, he saw Nanny carrying Baby Linne toward the nursery.

"Hi!" Frederick called out, then put his hand to his mouth when he realized the baby was sleeping. He managed a stage whisper. "Are Mother and Father in their room?"

"Yes, dear," she told him. "Be sure to knock first."

Frederick approached his parents' bedroom, and realized that Nanny must not have closed the door all the way. There was hushed talk between his parents, and as he approached, he began to hear what they were saying.

"...but there's no way. We have to do something about him," he heard his mother say.

"But why?" his father insisted. "It's not his fault, and besides, people like him. You're the one who wanted to avoid a scandal. Sending him away-"

"Might be better than trying to pretend everything is perfectly normal when you know it's not… not now."

"You're right, I know. We need to figure something out. But-"

Frederick had the feeling he wasn't supposed to be hearing any of this, and as much as he thought they might be talking about him, he didn't feel comfortable eavesdropping, so he loudly knocked on the door and cleared his throat somewhat dramatically.

His father opened the door a crack. "Oh, it's you," he sighed in relief. "What is it, Frederick?"

"Is Mother there?" Frederick asked, already knowing she was inside the room.

"Yes," Kristoff opened the door to let his son in. "What's the matter?"

"Sorry," he walked over to his mother sitting on the bed. "Our Ambassador to America quit to get himself a farm out west. I guess they're giving them out free?"

"Wait," his mother began, "What are you talking about?"

"Inga said you need to meet the council yourself to pick a new ambassador," Frederick explained. "Also we were wondering how much longer you'd be leaving us on our own."

"Oh…" Anna sighed, looking up at Kristoff. Frederick wondered what he'd done wrong, since he wasn't sure who else they might have been talking about.

"I'm sorry," Frederick apologized, "Inga's the one who told me to come here. I can go. I didn't mean… whatever is wrong. I'll go now."

"No, wait," Kristoff told him, walking over. "Is that the letter?"

"Yes," Frederick replied, realizing he was almost eye level with his father. He slouched a bit. For all the times during the summer that he had tried to act more grown up, he suddenly felt unready.

"Can you leave it with us?" his father asked.

"Of course," Frederick said, handing it over. "It's not like I can really do anything with it."

"Thanks," Kristoff sighed. "Why don't you go take a break now?"

"No, really, it's fine," he insisted. "And Inga will be expecting me, anyway."

"Thank you, Frederick," his mother smiled. "Do you need anything else?"

"Um, if it helps," Frederick spoke before getting to the door. "Admiral Sorensen told me he'd like to take me out on the training ship this spring. I told him I'd have to ask you first."

"That's fine, I guess," his mother replied, seeming somewhat distracted.

"Great, thanks!" Frederick replied, making sure to close the door completely and latch it as he left.

* * *

With Frederick out of the room, Inga pulled out the envelope she had grabbed a few minutes earlier. She realized she didn't know what Henry's handwriting looked like, and hoped the letter wasn't going to be some generic official thank you for attending the coronation, especially after going to the trouble of hiding it from her brother. Opening the letter, she wasn't disappointed.

_Corona, September 4th, 1864  
Dear Inga,_

_Thank you for the letter you gave me before you left Corona. I hope your trip home was uneventful, and that it was as quick as you said it would be. You still need to tell me what you meant. _

_I won't be able to answer most of the questions from your letter just yet. I'll need to find a chance to talk to my parents alone, since I get the feeling there might be things best discussed in private. Forgive me if I'm jumping to conclusions._

_As far as the other part of your letter, don't worry, you didn't offend me at all. I'd like to think I have a thicker skin than that. I hope you'll write back. I promise I'll write more when I can. If we can't talk, this will be the next best thing._

_Sincerely,  
Henry_

Inga stared at the letter, very glad that she'd kept it away from the official correspondence, even if there wasn't anything that could actually be evidence for any rumors. She realized she wanted a more private place to write a reply. Folding up the letter, she placed it in her pocket, and got up to leave the room. Just then, Frederick was returning.

"Finished already?" he asked her.

"I need a break," she told him. "It's getting late. Let's go into town and get dinner."

* * *

"I'm a little cold," Elizabeth told Lars. He wrapped his arms around her as they looked at the fire.

"It does get cold earlier here," he admitted, "especially up here in the mountains."

"I think I'll get used to it," she smiled, leaning into him.

"So," he began, "you really don't mind that my mother will be so close?"

"I'm the one who suggested it," she insisted. "I just hope that you don't mind. I…I know not everyone gets along with their parents."

He kissed her head. "No, it's fine. More than fine, in fact. I love that you get along so well with her, and… there might be times when I'll be busy, and I don't want you to feel lonely, or overwhelmed. We can't always count on having help."

"Thank goodness you seem to have learned to cook," she laughed, "or else we might all starve!"

"You're much more talented than I am," he assured her.

"I can bake some fancy pastries and cakes," she told him. "That will hardly feed a family. Your mother taught you how to make broth. Our cook always did that, and she liked to keep us out of the kitchen when she was making dinner."

"Well, it works out nicely, doesn't it?" He kissed her again. "It's all worked out rather nicely."

* * *

Inga was up early walking down the hall, meaning to get something from the kitchen before heading to the study. Turning the corner, she heard someone playing the piano in the corner of the ballroom. It hardly ever got used, especially since she had stopped playing a few years back. The twins preferred violin, and Sofia wasn't yet old enough to sit down for anything formal for very long. Frederick never put in much effort, but even then he seemed to play better than she did. Every so often someone in the family would say that they should try to find a way to fit the piano into the library so they could actually play it, or find a smaller piano for a corner of the library, but it never felt urgent enough to change anything.

Frederick was, in fact, the one playing. Inga stood by the door so she didn't interrupt him, then walked over when he was finished.

"That was nice. What was it?"

Frederick startled a bit. "Inga, I didn't hear you coming in. It's just… some piece my friend Edvard sent from Bergen."

"Well, it's nice. I didn't know you were still practicing," she smiled.

"I hadn't been, not really. This morning I just decided I would try again." Frederick shuffled around the sheet music. "It's a break from the correspondence. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind helping you with that. I'm just happy that I remember how to play."

"You know that's annoying, right?" Inga teased. "Being able to just sit down after the better part of a year and just play like that?"

Frederick gave a satisfied smile. "I played at Christmas last year, so I guess you're right." He shuffled through the stack of music on top of the piano. "Here, this one has something to sing. Why don't you join me?"

"You know I hate singing," she protested.

"No you don't, you just hated the voice teacher you had maybe a total of three lessons with," Frederick insisted. "Besides, I can't sing this high anymore." Frederick gave her a pitiful looking frown.

"Fine, but I can't promise I'll sing it well," she conceded, and Frederick began playing.

They needed to start over once or twice, but eventually Inga had to admit it sounded nice, especially if Frederick played loud enough to overpower herself. He insisted she sounded fine, and made her sing a second song.

At the end of the second piece, they heard someone clapping from across the room. Inga swung around, nearly knocking the music off the piano, and Frederick caught the pages, making sure they were secure before standing up and looking toward the far door.

"Very nice," said the man standing there. He was perfectly groomed and clean shaven, tall and tan, with jet black hair in the latest style from Paris, and what looked like a fashion house's take on a military uniform. "I had no idea the prince and princess of Arendelle would be so talented."

"And you are…?" Inga looked at him skeptically.

"Oh! I had thought you had been advised of my presence," he replied. "I had informed Her Majesty of my interest in meeting you."

Inga looked back blankly.

"Prince Tarkan of Maldonia." He gave a ceremonious bow as Frederick and Inga looked at each other trying not to laugh.

"Prince Agnarr Kristoff Frederick of Arendelle," Frederick replied, giving a very spot-on recreation of the Maldonian prince's bow. Inga was finding it hard to control her expression now, but quickly lost the desire to laugh when the prince was still looking expectantly at her, having barely acknowledged her brother's reply.

"Your Highness," she curtseyed. "Princess Anna Idunna Ingeborg of Arendelle. And I'm afraid that I must excuse myself, I was on my way… elsewhere."

"Where were you going?" Frederick whispered at her.

"Anywhere," she whispered back, hurrying to the side door toward the kitchen.

* * *

"Your Highness," Prince Tarkan bowed to Frederick after his sister had left the room.

"So," Frederick hemmed, "have you had time to see the countryside?"

"I cannot say that I have," replied Prince Tarkan, "and I did not come here to make idle conversation."

"You don't have to talk if you don't want to, but there's a lot you can do around here," Frederick insisted. "Just because my sister isn't interested, doesn't mean your trip needs to be a waste."

"You seem very certain that she isn't interested," Prince Tarkan sneered.

"Well," Frederick laughed, "usually if someone starts the conversation by telling her they want to meet her, that's the end of it."

"Perhaps in ten years she will regret being so quick to judge," Prince Tarkan sniffed. "I'm surprised that your mother is not more active in getting her children settled. I, for one, will be glad to have forged an alliance so that I may get on with the rest of my life."

"Um, I thought we were talking about getting married, what are you talking about?" Frederick stared at the other prince in confusion.

"Surely, someone in your position understands the importance, and isn't blinded by romantic notions."

"Well, I guess maybe for you?"

"I'm not sure what rumors about me have traveled this way, but I assure you they are all false," the Maldonian prince huffed.

"I really have no idea what you're talking about. I had to dance with your sister when I was in Corona, but I don't think she mentioned anything." Frederick frowned as he tried to remember any conversations he'd had at that party.

"Well, my sister knows when to hold her tongue. Still, I thought your family might be more amenable when the ambassador was explaining…certain things."

"Certain things?" Frederick was confused.

"I am sure you are aware, there were irregularities? That is, irregularities with the marriage of your parents."

"Why are you trying to sound so mysterious?" Frederick asked. "They got married by the trolls first, sure, and then they got married in the cathedral by the bishop because everyone expects that. So?"

"You'll beg my pardon, Your Highness, I did not mean to be rude. Apparently all is explained." Prince Tarkan bowed and left the way he had come in.

Frederick shook his head and sat back down at the piano.

* * *

"_I think this is where you tell us congratulations." Anna told the silent council. "I've certainly been hearing enough whispers about the impending succession crisis for the last few years."_

_The council sat silently for another moment. The Bishop spoke up first._

"_Your Majesty," he began hesitantly, "it truly pains me to say this, and no offense is meant, but as far as the law is concerned, you are not legally married."_

"_Well, you could vote to change the law," Kristoff interjected. "Isn't that what you're here for?"_

"_Sir," the Bishop said, giving a small bow to Kirstoff, "I'm afraid that changing the law would introduce… complications._

"_Complications?" Anna asked. _

"_Yes, you see…" the Bishop sighed. "Legally, if your recent ceremony were recognized, the entire thing could be annulled due to bigamy laws."_

"_Wait, what?" _

_Anna could feel Kristoff's hand squeezing hers painfully tight. _

"_If everyone would excuse me," Anna spoke slowly and deliberately, "I would like to speak privately with the Bishop for a few minutes. The rest of you are dismissed. Thank you."_

_With much grumbling, the remainder of the council pulled together any papers they had brought in, and left the room. Anna placed her free hand on top of Kristoff's hand, and he relaxed his grip on her hand slightly._

"_Your Majesty," the Bishop began once the door had closed and he was alone with Anna and Kristoff. "It would be very difficult to write the law allowing other ceremonies but not… claims of private exchange of vows. Your sister changed the law for exactly that reason. It's been the practice to look the other way for ordinary citizens, but in your case... I know you roundly denied having exchanged such vows at the time, but if, God forbid, anything were to happen to you, Prince Hans might bring up this marriage claim again."_

"_I understand," she sighed. "There could be bigamy claims, making any children Kristoff and I have illegitimate, and no living witnesses to deny it, and if there are no legitimate heirs, the legal spouse takes the throne. And they have… more warships than we have, even with Corona's navy."_

"_I am afraid so," the Bishop nodded. "I can perform the ceremony first thing in the morning, if you wish."_

"_That would be good," Anna looked up at Kristoff, who nodded quietly in agreement._

* * *

Inga grabbed herself a pastry from the kitchen following her escape from the ballroom, and ate it slowly on her way up to the study. She walked in without knocking, in the middle of a bite.

"Good morning," her mother greeted her. "Did you bring any for me?"

"You're back?" Inga spoke with a full mouth, swallowing a little too quickly. "And you might have warned me about that prince from Maldonia, you know."

"Who? Oh…sorry," Anna laughed a little. "He was definitely obvious about his intentions. He asked directly if you were attached, and as upset as you seemed to be about those rumors last week, I had to be honest. Did he… behave himself?"

"I suppose he was fine, just… rude, I guess?" Inga sighed. "I left Frederick alone with him before I came up here just now."

"How is Frederick doing?" Anna asked with some concern.

"Fine. He was playing piano this morning."

"That's nice to hear. He seemed to think he had done something wrong yesterday," she sighed. "I'm sorry about the past few days."

"Is everything okay?" Inga asked.

"I think everything will work out," Anna replied, standing up to leave. "If you'll check the schedule, there should be a few meetings that don't require me to be present. Would you be able to attend those?"

Inga glanced at the book. "Ugh. You won't make me meet with Maldonia, will you?"

"Oh! No, I'll take care of that one. Thank you for reminding me. Now, your father is expecting me to join him for breakfast. Don't forget to eat a proper meal, please!"

* * *

_Anna sat in the garden, a newspaper open on the bench next to her. She stared off absentmindedly, not wanting to read the paper she'd brought with her. She was happy for the headline she read, but it had awoken memories she thought she had put behind her. It had been two months since her twenty-first birthday, a little more than two months, in fact. It was almost September. Olaf wandered over and looked at the headlines._

_"Oh! The Crown Princess and Prince from Corona! I remember them! They had twins? Wasn't she the one you and Elsa were traveling with? And her husband, I remember he stayed here for a while. Anna?"_

"_Sorry, Olaf, what was that? I was a bit distracted. Hey, let's go for a walk!"_

* * *

Kristoff was sitting at the table by the window with the breakfast set out when Anna came into the bedroom without knocking. Nanny had taken Baby Linne to the nursery for the morning. As she sat down, Anna pulled out a stack of papers she had hidden in the folds of her skirt.

"Inga came in just as I was finishing copying out the page from the law book," she told him. "She was focused on running into the prince from Maldonia, anyway, so I don't think she would have asked questions, anyway."

"Anna," Kristoff began, taking her hand. "Shouldn't we tell her? She's going to ask questions."

"But when?" she sighed.

"Maybe now?"

"Somehow, I had always imagined it being some kind of deathbed confession…"

"Really?" He looked at her.

"No, of course not," she told him. "It's just, you know, we lucked out not having any rumors about this. Our children aren't exactly good at keeping secrets, either. It would just take one of them saying something to Olaf and pretty soon every kingdom would know, and even if we've fixed the legal danger, we still don't need that kind of talk." Anna took a breath. "Maybe Inga could be careful now."

"I think she would be."

"But how do we tell her? It was a shock enough for you and me, and we knew… part of it."

"It was a shock enough the first time you told me."

"I kept questioning when I was going to tell you. Even after I told you, I second guessed myself. You seemed…angry."

"I was never angry at you, I hope you know it was only…him."

"Hans." Anna said it as if it were a curse.

Kristoff bristled at the name, closing his eyes. "And I don't think there would have been a perfect time." He looked across the table with a slight smirk. "Well, I suppose I'm glad I'm not just learning about it now. I have to say, a lot of things suddenly made sense after you told me."

"Honestly, I'm amazed there were never any rumors about the real reason for the trip to Corona."

"Trust me," Kristoff sighed, "everyone was convinced that you were going to be set up with a prince, it was only a question of which one. I almost believed it..."

"That still amazes me. It was the last thing on my mind during that trip," she paused.

Kristoff smiled a little. "That's what Elsa said when she returned the first time, before she disappeared again. I have to admit, it was hard to believe, since she didn't tell me why you would be hanging around in Corona for that long if you hadn't… met someone else."

"Sorry, I know it must have been confusing, not knowing anything…" she looked at him sadly. "At any rate, I wasn't just talking about what they were saying here. I suppose Elsa made sure that we never stayed in one place long enough for anyone to catch on that my dresses kept needing to be let out. And a princess getting new dresses certainly doesn't raise any eyebrows. But even in Corona, we only stayed in the capital for three weeks, and that was the longest we stayed anywhere, and then they were joking that the food was too good for me. Elsa and Rapunzel didn't say anything, of course, they kept quiet. And then Rapunzel found the house in the countryside not long after that. The story was that we needed a break from court life."

Kristoff sat silently the entire time Anna was talking. Twenty years after the fact, this was the most he had heard her talk about that time. He was still holding her hand, and the other one was nervously gesturing as she reminisced. "How much did Rapunzel have a hand in all this?"

"She knew how to keep us away from rumors in Corona. And she obviously has kept an eye on Mrs. Nilsen all this time. I hadn't realized when Elsa told me they had found someone that it was someone from Arendelle. I figured it would be someone from Corona, or maybe somewhere near Corona. It makes sense, though. She didn't need to explain a pregnancy that nobody had seen, and her husband was dead, so she didn't need to explain why the boy looked so different from his brother, and so much like-"

"He takes after you more."


	26. Decisions

_Arendelle, September 23rd, 1864_

_Dear Henry,_

_I got your letter this week, and I would have replied several days ago, but I've been quite busy covering for my mother, who seems to have gone into hiding. All is well, so they tell me, and I really have no idea what's going on, but Frederick and I have been picking up the slack. When I saw Mother today she even wanted me to attend some of the meetings for her. This morning's meeting will be with your Mr. Meyer, so perhaps you'll hear about it later. There's been some fuss about the naval pensions we pay to Corona, but it sounded like the issue was settled so I really don't know why my mother still seems to care. Oh, and one of our other ambassadors disappeared into the wilds of America. _

_I look forward to hearing more from you, and I'll write more when I have time again!_

_Sincerely, _

_Inga_

Inga paused as she was addressing the letter. She looked outside and walked out to the balcony.

She looked around and whispered, "Gale?"

* * *

"It's strange going so long without talking to anyone else," Elizabeth remarked.

"We've had someone delivering food to us," Lars reminded her.

"Oh, you know what I mean. But I suppose that delivery boy would have told us if anything exciting happened," she sighed, resting her head on his chest. "He certainly was eager to tell us about the issue with the mislabeled fish at the market the other day. We weren't even getting any fish!"

"I remember my mother telling a story about Father yelling at someone he had hired on his ship for trying to tell him he had caught a more expensive kind of fish," Lars laughed a little.

"It's so funny, back home, I was just wanting to hide away and find a quiet moment, and here I am, nervous that I'm missing something."

"I understand," he laughed. "I keep expecting Mr. Meyer to come through the door and ask me why I'm not ready for today's meeting."

"I think your brother is quite competent, in his own way," Elizabeth laughed. "I suppose your mother enjoys having him around an extra week or two. I know Father was planning to sail off the day after our wedding."

"She has been catching up with him, that's true," Lars smiled. "Do you mind that you won't get to go with your mother and sisters? I know you haven't seen your aunt in Wesselton in quite some time."

"No, that's not a problem, really," Elizabeth sighed. "Mother isn't particularly close to her, even, but it was Father's next stop."

"I remember Karl saying there were plans to take the Maldonian prince on to Wesselton if he didn't decide to stay longer in Arendelle."

Elizabeth laughed. "I can only think of one reason he wouldn't be sure about how long he stays on here, and I'm pretty sure he'll be sailing right on schedule."

"I don't think I've heard this gossip. What do you know?"

"Really, the only thing I'd really call gossip was from my own sisters," Elizabeth grumbled. "I was half afraid that Inga would never want to talk to me again after my sisters were pestering her about getting engaged to Prince Henry. Inga didn't even get a full day in Corona before those girls were making assumptions."

It was Lars's turn to laugh. "What did happen while you were there? I don't think you finished telling me."

"Well, I already told you what happened that first day, with the saddle," she smiled, sitting up again. "Now, never speak a word of this to anyone else, but… I'm not surprised there were rumors the morning after that ball."

Lars sat up and gave Elizabeth a puzzled look.

"Now, don't get me wrong. As far as I know, Inga is technically correct," she insisted. "There's no engagement, or any official agreement, and I'd never want to be the source of rumors about that. I told my sisters to mind their own business. But… she and Prince Henry got along rather well, I thought, especially after the footman brought out the extra bottle of sherry."

"What about you?" he asked with a teasing look.

"You know I can't stand sherry," she swatted him gently. "I think I was the only one there who stopped at wine with dinner."

* * *

"Your Excellency," Inga greeted Mr. Meyer as she entered the room.

"Your Highness," he returned with a small bow.

"And…" she hesitated, "how should I greet Lieutenant Nilsen this week?"

"I think Lieutenant Nilsen will work," the Ambassador chuckled. "We wouldn't want too much confusion with his brother."

"I don't think there's much risk of that," Inga smiled politely.

The Lieutenant laughed. "Should we offer congratulations, Your Highness?"

"What?" Inga exclaimed, barely holding her temper. She didn't want to sound defensive, but every question and insinuation reminded her how much of her life people considered their own business. "If there's been an official announcement, I'd like to know."

The Ambassador shot a glance at his temporary secretary. "Your Highness, you will excuse the lieutenant. He hasn't had his brother's training. There has, of course, been no announcement, official or otherwise, from either court."

"Indeed," Inga sighed. "May I ask where you heard this?"

"Sorry," the lieutenant apologized sincerely. "Don't blame my brother, or Elizabeth. Neither of them said a word, but I did hear her sisters talking at the reception, and nobody seemed to contradict them."

"I'm sure His Excellency will be sure to contradict any unsubstantiated rumors," Inga said dryly, looking directly at the Ambassador.

"I assure you, Your Highness," the Ambassador replied, almost sheepishly.

"Very well," Inga replied. "We were going to discuss steamship service?"

* * *

"Anna, sending Lars? Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"If you can think of a better idea, let me know. The fact is, the actual requirements for the position of ambassador are almost nonexistent. The only time we didn't bother refilling a position was when our ambassador to the Southern Isles conveniently left his post twenty-one years ago."

"But does it have to be right away? They've been at war for how many years now? This doesn't seem like the time to be sending someone over there, does it?"

"Is it the time to leave the position empty?"

"But him? Lars and Elizabeth are young, and I don't know what the foreign newspapers are saying, but it doesn't sound safe."

"Then we don't send him to the capital. It's not like Arendelle has proper embassies anywhere."

"What about the draft riots?"

"Those were last year. Things sound safe enough now… Well, away from the battles, of course, but he wouldn't be drafted, since he would have diplomatic immunity."

"Fine, what's to stop him from taking a farm just like the last one?"

"And if he does?"

* * *

"Olaf?" Inga said as she approached the stables.

"Inga! Hi! What are you doing here?"

She glared a moment, then softened. "Have you seen Elsa?"

"No, why?"

"Well…" Inga paused. "Actually, I think maybe you could help me."

"Okay! What?"

"This summer, you started telling us about the time that Papa was going rock climbing with the prince from Corona..."

"Yeah? And?"

"Prince Henry, in Corona, was telling me that Papa took his father to see the trolls because, well, everyone else was gone at Christmas. I don't remember hearing about that before. Were you there?"

"Oh, the time Anna and Elsa and that princess from Corona were on that trip?"

"Yes."

"I went to the North Mountain to see Marshmallow."

"Oh," Inga sighed. "And were Mama and Elsa really gone long?"

"No," Olaf replied, matter-of-fact. "Elsa was back a few months earlier, and then she left again when that Eugene guy left."

"Wait, what? Where was my mother that whole time?"

"I think she was in Corona. She didn't want to talk about it. You know, you'd think if she spent that long somewhere, she'd at least talk about it, don't you?"

* * *

Frederick was expecting to see Peder and Anton waiting when he arrived for dinner. He was not expecting to see his parents there for the first time in five days, especially since he hadn't seen them when Elsa had left that morning.

"Mother? Father? You're feeling better?"

"Yes, we're fine," his father replied, looking uneasily at Anna.

"I'm glad to hear it!" Frederick began excitedly. "When I was talking to Admiral Sorensen this morning, he said he thinks I could do a short training run in April."

"Training run? With our Admiral?" his mother exclaimed, sounding panicked. "What's this about?"

"Um," Frederick muttered. "You said it would be fine when I asked."

"Did I?" Anna looked at Kristoff. "Did we?"

"Yes, when I brought you that letter about the American Ambassador," Frederick groaned.

"Are you sure?" Anna asked.

"I'm pretty sure you told me you were fine with it," Frederick insisted, "unless you were talking about something else."

Anna and Kristoff looked at each other. Frederick wished they would have told him before if they had a problem with the idea but he held back from complaining more. The admiral had been enthusiastic when Frederick had told him that his mother approved, and he knew that it wouldn't look good for her to walk back on that.

"Oh, so, have you figured anything out with that?" Frederick asked.

"Figured out what?" Inga echoed as she walked in.

"The American Ambassador," he reminded his sister.

"Of course," Inga replied. "Do you have any idea what you'll do about that, or are you just going to wait until they're done fighting over there?"

"See?" Kristoff whispered a little too loudly to Anna.

Inga looked curiously between them, then raised her eyebrows at Frederick.

Anna spoke up. "I haven't met with the council yet, and I'll need to speak with Mr. Meyer, of course-"

"Why would you need to speak to Mr. Meyer?" Inga asked, then frowned. "Wait, he'd need to approve if you're picking Lars? Why him, though?"

"He seemed like a good candidate," Anna stated.

"We discussed it," Kristoff added. "The timing might be an issue. We'd have to wait until a replacement arrives from Corona, at the very least."

"Do you think Corona will even agree to it?" Frederick asked, "I mean, Lars is part of their diplomatic corps-"

"And he'll have to agree," Inga pointed out. "You can't just send him off to a place like that. And what about his mother?"

Frederick nodded. "Really, wouldn't it make more sense to ask if anyone in the council has a candidate? I mean, sure, his mother is from Arendelle, but that doesn't seem like a good reason to pick him over someone else."

"Well," Anna said, biting her lip, "like I said, it's not settled. So until it is, let's drop the subject, and have dinner."

* * *

Anna closed her eyes and knocked at the door on the guest wing. It opened slowly.

"Your Majesty!" Mrs. Nilsen exclaimed. "I wasn't expecting a visit from you."

"May I come in?" Anna whispered, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Of course!" Mrs. Nilsen stepped back to let Anna in, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Elsa told me," was all that Anna managed.

"I know," Mrs. Nilsen replied, offering a chair. "I was wondering whether you would come to me."

"I… I suppose I should say thank you," Anna sighed as she sat down.

"It never felt like a duty," the woman assured her. "He's always been a delightful child. Karl would have grown up very lonely otherwise, even if we had stayed in Arendelle."

"But you were… you were practically in exile for twenty years," Anna said, looking away.

"They were very good to us. And I do understand why it had to be that way."

"You do? I thought-"

"No," Mrs. Nilsen confessed quickly, "nobody told me anything until your sister came to Corona last month, but it was obvious."

"How much did you figure out?"

"I think I know everything," she sighed. "And I have never spoken a word of it to anyone else, except your sister. I don't think it would do anyone any good to know. When I was talking with your sister back in Corona last month, I…I mentioned him. I think you know who I mean. The look on her face, I knew I'd guessed correctly."

"What… how did you guess?"

"I wasn't always sure about it. But I kept up with news from Arendelle, and I read about your family here. I knew there had to be a reason. For several years I had prepared myself for someone to come claim him."

Anna sighed and looked out the window for several minutes. She still didn't feel comfortable talking about this, particularly with Mrs. Nilsen of all people. She hoped she was being completely honest about being happy with her life the last twenty years. Elsa had told her that Margit was planning to move back to Arendelle permanently, so Anna needed to bring up her plan before any official decisions were made.

"I need to ask another question."

* * *

"Your Majesty, this is a most unusual choice."

"Do you have any other suggestions, Your Grace?" she replied to the duke.

The council members mumbled quietly to each other. A few were gesturing, most ended up shrugging. There was some half whispered discussion of alternative candidates, but most agreed this was not where they would want to send friends and relations any time soon.

"He is very young," one of the guild masters pointed out.

"I realize it is a bit unorthodox, perhaps? But he is qualified."

They settled on her Majesty's proposal. Pending agreement from Corona, and the arrival of a replacement secretary for their ambassador, the council approved the nomination of Lars Nilsen for Arendelle's Ambassador to America. The council decided to hold off on discussing where, exactly, to send him until a later date.

* * *

It was a cool morning in late September. Mr. Meyer looked at his diary. Today was the day his private secretary was to be returning from his honeymoon. He had been forced into granting him the leave. He looked out his window into the town. It was still early morning, and he imagined that the young couple would not want to leave until after breakfast. The young man's brother had nice enough penmanship, but he seemed to have no sense of decorum. And now he had heard from his old friend on the council that he would need to find a new secretary. Lars Nilsen had some explaining to do.

* * *

Lars and Elizabeth returned to Arendelle just before lunchtime that Tuesday. The Ambassador was waiting for them just inside the castle gate. The couple were disappointed, but not surprised that Lars was being called back to his duties so quickly after their arrival.

"Your Excellency!" Lars called out as he walked towards Mr. Meyer.

"Mr. Nilsen, I need you to come with me," Mr. Meyer said sternly.

"May my wife and I unpack first?" Lars asked, looking over at Elizabeth and smiling, feeling some satisfaction in being able to use those words.

Elizabeth smiled and walked over, taking his arm. "Your Excellency," she greeted the Ambassador, who nodded in return.

"On second thought," the Ambassador hemmed, "I think she may as well hear what I need to tell you. You can unpack later."

They followed the Ambassador inside and up to his quarters. Once they were both inside, the Ambassador closed the door behind him.

"Mr. Nilsen," he began with a sternness that went beyond his typical formality, "I had understood that you hadn't learned very much about your family connections here."

"That is true, sir," Lars replied.

"And your mother, she hasn't said anything since she arrived?"

"No, sir, she showed us the house where she used to live. It was a very tiny one by the harbor. She told me none of the men working by the docks were anyone she remembered, and nobody seemed to remember her. Halima did, a little bit, but she was, as I expected, a friendly acquaintance, and nothing more."

"And," the Ambassador probed, "the former queen…"

"I'm not sure, sir," Lars responded with some confusion, not certain where his employer's line of questioning was leading. "I'm only aware that she was acquainted with her."

"If I may," Elizabeth interrupted, "she paid several visits to Mrs. Nilsen's home in Corona. They seemed to be on familiar terms, as far as I could tell."

The Ambassador gave a sigh. "Well, perhaps that's it, then. Mr. Nilsen, I'll be honest, I don't understand why your mother has two different royal families interested in her family, and I'd say it was none of my business, except it looks like I'm going to need to find myself a new secretary now."

"Excuse me, sir?" Lars asked, trying to sound as calm as he could. Elizabeth grabbed his arm tightly looking at him with a worried expression.

"Queen Anna has approval from her council to make you the new ambassador to America."

"But…" Lars trailed off, trying to make sense of the news. He looked at Elizabeth, whose worry had transformed almost immediately into confusion.

"You can decline, of course," the Ambassador reminded him. "It might be awkward, naturally, as rejecting this kind of honor isn't something to be taken lightly."

* * *

Inga once again managed to get the most recent letter from Corona out of the stack of mail before anyone else saw it. She looked at the date: it had been a week and a half. She sighed.

_Corona, September 24th, 1864_

_Dear Inga,_

_I'm not sure how I got your last letter so quickly. I'm sure you'll tell me at some point, but you don't have to now. I hope your meeting went well. And please tell me more of the story about your ambassador in America, it sounds interesting! _

_I haven't been particularly useful here. We sit in on the meetings, but there really isn't much to talk about. They want to send us on tour, me and Hilde, I mean. I'll make sure we visit Arendelle, if they're serious about it, but they don't even know if it will be this year or next year, so who knows. _

_Sincerely,_

_Henry_

_P.S. I'm still waiting for a recent picture of you!_

After fetching a piece of paper to reply, she found a copy of the family's recent photograph. That would have to do, even if it wasn't just herself, which she had the feeling would have been more to his liking.

_Arendelle, October 8th, 1864_

_Dear Henry,_

_I'm happy to hear my letter got there so quickly! I hope I can explain it to you at some point._

_I'm going to go ahead and send you the family portrait we had a photographer take right after I got back to Arendelle last month. I ended up holding my baby sister for this one, but believe me, it's not as bad as it could have been._

_As far as the situation with the ambassador, I don't know much more about what happened to the old one. Since I'm not sure if anyone besides you will be reading this letter, I can't say too much about who was picked to be the new one until you officially hear about it. I don't understand the choice, and I don't know if your mother will be upset by this, too. _

_Tonight we have a ball for the Prince of Maldonia, who will be ending his visit this weekend. I'll be very relieved to see him gone, and I'm sure he is very disappointed with me. _

_Sincerely,_

_Inga_

Inga walked out to the balcony, looking around to see if anyone was nearby.

"Gale?"

-end chapter-

_[Quick historical note (I know this is mostly fantasy, but I've been blurring the lines already): The US Civil War lasted from 1861-1865, but of course, being 1864 here, they don't know the end date. The summer of 1863 saw riots against the draft for the Civil War in several cities, but most predominately New York City.]_


	27. The Truth

Inga stood in the corner watching the final preparations for the evening's dinner and ball. She hadn't intended to arrive at the ballroom early, but once Gerda had stopped by her room offering to help her get dressed, she didn't want to make her come back later. Gerda had suggested her emerald green dress, which wasn't as tight as the one she had worn for the ball in Corona, but it was still too wide and too long to be doing anything else in, so there wasn't much left to do but head over to the ballroom. She had stopped by to see if her parents were ready, but they hadn't even given her a clear answer if they were going to be at the banquet beforehand.

Every few minutes a servant would come over and ask if she needed anything, even though she was trying to stay in the background and just watch. Finally, she told one that she could use something to drink. Other guests were slowly starting to come in. Her parents had informed Kai that it would be best not to wait for them to begin the evening. Inga silently laughed to herself that the Prince of Maldonia was probably expecting a more formal event in his honor. Thankfully, he had not arrived early. Her own table was still empty, and she looked around to see if there was anyone she would want to talk to before dinner began.

"Elizabeth!" Inga called as she nearly ran over to her table at the banquet. "Where's Lars?"

"Mr. Meyer took him aside to speak privately. They've been doing that quite a lot this week. How have you been?"

"Busy," she replied, setting down her empty glass on the table. She leaned in to whisper, "I really don't know whether my parents are showing up tonight, even after my mother promised not to leave me alone with that prince from Maldonia. I might need to call in that favor from the ball in Corona, since you're married now and your husband will be right here. I'm pretty much obliged to dance with the prince once, but after that-"

"I'll see what I can do," Elizabeth smiled. "Your dress is lovely, by the way. I've always loved emerald green, so bold."

Inga smiled and nodded, not wanting to admit that she hadn't put that much thought into the color of her dress. She stood quietly for a moment, looking around nervously. She sighed. "I don't want to bring it up, but, have you- has he made a decision? About, you know, that thing?"

"No. The Ambassador doesn't want to lose him, of course, but he also acts like saying 'no' isn't a real option, either."

"I can't see why," she scowled, barely keeping her voice down. "I don't understand it, to be honest. Really, I hate it. I… I thought you'd be here at least a year or two."

Elizabeth nodded. There was some commotion as Inga's parents had suddenly appeared at their table, and the footmen began bringing out the main course. Inga hurried back to her table.

* * *

Inga sat next to Frederick as they finished their main course. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but she had accepted every refill on her drink. Frederick would occasionally tell her about his conversations with the Admiral and the various naval officers present, and Inga would try to say something appropriately encouraging, since it was all exciting and new to him. Her father was always quiet at these events, but her mother was unusually reserved this evening, looking around the room, almost nervously, with none of her usual excitement about the event, or eventhe mirth she would quietly express if the guest list wasn't satisfactory. Still, they were here, so Inga at least wasn't going to be left completely at the mercy of Prince Tarkan.

When dinner was over and they were waiting for the dancing to begin, Inga wanted to go speak to Elizabeth some more, but Elizabeth's mother and sisters were keeping her busy. Inga decided that she would give them some space since they would be leaving the next day for Wesselton. She hoped that they would take Prince Tarkan with them. Inga looked around the room.

A footman came around with fresh drinks. Inga gladly took one. She noticed a dignitary whose name she forgot whispering to Prince Tarkan and gesturing in her direction. She couldn't pinpoint exactly why the Maldonian prince made her so uncomfortable from the one time he had spoken to her, but she wanted to avoid him as much as she could. Nearby, she saw Kate and Edith standing around giggling about something or other, so Inga decided to go join them.

"Inga!" Kate said gleefully as she stopped in front of them. "We were just saying, we haven't had a chance to speak to you since Isabel's wedding. How are you doing?"

"Fine," Inga replied, not sure what they actually wanted to hear. "How have you been?"

"Nothing much has been happening with us," Edith laughed, "though everyone is talking about Mr. Nilsen's promotion. What do you know about that?"

"I really wish I knew," Inga admitted. "They really don't tell me as much as you'd think."

Edith looked at Kate and smirked a bit.

"What is it?" Inga asked.

"Well, we probably shouldn't say it here," Kate said a little too loudly.

"Now you have me curious," Inga grumbled.

"Fine," Edith sighed, pulling them toward the kitchen door away from the other guests. "Someone was saying that the position is probably going to him to cover up his father's death."

"Cover up?" Inga was confused. "Why would it need to be covered up? He died from natural causes. And who was saying this?"

"Kate, do you remember who it was? It was right after he and his brother left Hudson's the other night."

"No one in particular, just some dock worker."

"Did this person say anything else?" Inga probed.

"Well..." Edith said, looking around, lowering her voice and leaning in, "there was some question about whether his father was even his father. The two brothers look different, and apparently his mother tried to hide being pregnant before she left Arendelle. So there might have been some kind of fight."

"Did they have any proof?" Inga asked, looking around to make sure they were still alone. "People like to talk nonsense, you know."

"I remember now!" Kate almost jumped up. "He said he was loading the ship that took her to Corona. It was the middle of the night, and the whole thing was rather hushed-"

"Kate!" Edith grabbed her, trying to whisper, "maybe think about who we're talking to?"

"What? I know my aunt had something to do with getting her to Corona."

Edith leaned in, about to say something else, when they heard the musicians beginning to assemble. Inga quickly excused herself.

Frederick was waiting at the other end of the room. "See if you can figure out what he's hiding," he whispered in her ear.

"Who?"

"Tarkan," he snorted. "He was acting weird after you left me with him last week. You have to give him one dance, you know. Might as well make it worthwhile."

"I'd rather not," she groaned. "It means I'd have to talk to him."

"So? You talk to him, he talks back, you learn something interesting if you're lucky."

"I just, well, it's not that simple."

Frederick snorted. "You know this one wouldn't be such a problem if you weren't so insistent that nothing happened with the last one."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she whispered back with a glare.

He only nudged her and nodded his head toward the group from Maldonia walking toward them.

Inga felt her entire body tense up at the uncomfortable memory of the encounter with Prince Tarkan in the empty ballroom as he approached now and was officially introduced to her.

"Your Highness, may I have this dance?" he asked with stiff formality. Inga politely accepted his hand, trying hard to keep her face neutral and not roll her eyes as he led her to the center of the room to signal the music for the waltz. He placed his hand on her back firmly, yet it made her feel insecure, and his grip on her hand felt unforgiving. "You have been nearly impossible to find this week. I almost would think you were avoiding me."

"I've been quite busy," Inga stated, hoping it would sound more like an apology than an insult.

"You may have heard, I will be sailing to Wesselton tomorrow."

"Yes," she replied tersely. "I hope you enjoyed your stay."

"I must admit, I was rather disappointed."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"There will be others, I assure you."

"Of course," Inga said, wondering how much longer the music would be playing. He was talking just enough that she couldn't lose herself in her own thoughts and go through the motions of the dance. She tried to keep up her end of the conversation like the etiquette lessons had drilled into her. "I hope you find someone deserving."

"I'm sure I will, and besides, I've learned things during my stay that will make up for my initial disappointment," he smirked.

"Oh, really?" she asked, slightly unnerved.

"The locals really are quite friendly here. I can understand why your family doesn't look elsewhere."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, if I understand your… parentage?"

"So?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean that as an insult. I was merely curious. When my father suggested visiting Arendelle on my tour, he mentioned that he had been interested in Her Majesty many years ago, before she was Queen."

"I've… not heard that. But I imagine it would have been purely a theoretical interest."

"He was quite charmed with her when the two of them were visiting Corona at the same time," Tarkan smirked.

"Well, if that had come to anything, we wouldn't be having this conversation now, would we?"

"That is true," he acknowledged.

"Tell me, then," she hoped to change the subject, "Where did your father meet Queen Nora?"

"It was all arranged," he replied flatly.

"I take it they're not arranging things for you?"

"It's not so simple," he explained, "My father was an only child, so there was no question that he would inherit."

"Are you not the oldest, then?"

"Oh, I am the oldest, but my father has not selected his heir yet. They would like to see a legitimate line of succession, naturally."

"That seems like it puts a lot of pressure on you."

"It's probably for the best. It can cause complications if a monarch succeeds to the throne without a clear line of succession, you know."

"Who is winning right now?" She took a second to realize she had asked this out loud, and tried to remember how many drinks she had accepted from the footmen.

"As far as legitimate heirs, there are none yet," he explained.

"I see…" she replied cautiously. His accent was just thick enough that she was willing to believe he had misspoken, and wasn't trying to imply what it sounded like to her. She had quickly finished off her most recent glass of wine, and she was starting to feel it, so she knew she'd need to be careful what she let herself say.

Tarkan continued as if he hadn't heard her. "My sister, of course, you met in Corona. She had no luck there on either of the royal heirs she met, though I suppose your brother is still too young."

"Yes, I agree there," Inga said firmly, noticing Frederick passing nearby as he danced with Edith.

"She also had warned me that I might not have luck here," he continued, frowning at her.

"No one has had that kind of 'luck' here," Inga smirked back.

He sniffed dismissively. "As for my brother Josef, he is engaged to a princess from Bavaria, though her parents insist that she wait until she is twenty-one, so I may yet have time to establish my own legitimate succession before him."

"You seem to like emphasizing that the succession needs to be legitimate," Inga spoke without thinking.

Prince Tarkan cleared his throat. "You do a poor job of acting naive," he said with the slightest hint of a sneer.

"I never claimed to be," she told him.

"Good, because you will limit yourself considerably if you… expect otherwise from men."

"Is that so?" she sighed, relieved to hear the music ending. She curtseyed and he bowed, and she politely took her leave, glad to be done with that. She knew well enough that there were plenty of men who were going to view her as nothing more than a treaty concession or a business transaction, but seeing it so bluntly laid out was infuriating, even when she was completely sober, which she was quite sure she wasn't at this point.

Inga looked for Elizabeth again, but she and Lars were now dancing, and she couldn't talk to Frederick because Kate had convinced him to dance with her now.

"Edith," Inga called as she walked over, finding another round of drinks being passed around.

"Inga," she pouted a little, "I wish I had found you earlier. I was hoping you'd introduce me for a dance with Prince Tarkan, but now he's dancing with the daughter of Duke… Duke… oh, I forget his name, but he's on the royal council. She's so full of herself."

"You're not missing much," Inga grumbled. "And, from what he said, I'd be very careful around him, if I were you."

"What's that?" Edith asked.

"Never mind," Inga sighed. "I have no proof of anything."

"Proof of what?" Edith probed.

"Just…" Inga took a sip of her drink. "Just that he kept going on about legitimate heirs, and pretty much all but admitted to having the illegitimate kind."

"Oh!" Edith exclaimed, looking around a bit, moving them closer to the corner.

"He seems to think it's pretty commonplace."

"Well, you've read more than I have," Edith reminded her.

"True, going by what I've read, it's rather common, but in real life, I'd like to think that's all exaggerated. The idea of marrying someone who only wants me for my title and position and keeping to myself while he goes off with every girl in the countryside-"

"That wasn't exactly the kind of reading I was thinking of," Edith laughed, "but you have a point."

"Oh, so," Inga said with another sip, "before the dancing started, you and I were discussing something else."

Edith laughed a little too loudly. "Yes, your new ambassador to America. I'm sure you didn't learn anything about him from that Maldonian prince, but it's funny because what I heard about Mr. Nilsen-"

The second dance ended, and Elizabeth walked over to join them. Edith gave Inga an embarrassed look, clearly aware that they needed to change the subject.

"Sorry, I interrupted something," Elizabeth said innocently, starting to turn around.

"Oh, no," Inga insisted, "well, we were talking about the ambassador position. Sorry if that's awkward for you…"

"It is awkward," Elizabeth admitted, "but there's nothing to apologize for. I know it must be interesting."

Inga noticed Edith shifting uncomfortably. "Elizabeth," Inga probed, "did Lars say anything more about his family here?"

Elizabeth sighed. "He didn't really learn anything. The Ambassador was asking us the same thing the day we returned from our honeymoon. Lars told me his brother thinks he's being rather silly for even trying to learn anything, and maybe he's right."

Edith glanced knowingly at Inga, who gave her a quick frown before returning her attention to Elizabeth. "I wish I knew more," Inga sighed. "Then maybe I could understand what my parents were thinking."

"The best we could figure is that Elsa had something to do with it," Elizabeth replied, "because she has spent a lot of time with Mrs. Nilsen, of course."

"Doesn't that get confusing now?" Edith giggled.

"Oh!" Elizabeth laughed in surprise. "You know, it's funny, I hadn't really thought of that… it just hasn't come up here, since nearly everyone uses first names. I suppose if she comes with us, we'll have to figure something out, because there would be two of us they could call 'Mrs. Nilsen' and that would definitely get confusing."

"So, where is your husband now?" Edith asked.

"Mr. Meyer made him come with him to talk with some other ambassadors," Elizabeth sighed. "To be fair, one of them spent several years in America, so I suppose that will be helpful."

Another dance was announced, and Inga soon found herself dancing with a series of dignitaries who were both tolerable and forgettable.

It was nearing the end of the evening when Elizabeth's mother and sisters found her again. Inga was thankful that Prince Tarkan had at least lost interest in her so she never needed Elizabeth's assistance in avoiding him.

Kate and Edith found Inga as a last round of drinks were brought around. Kate was eagerly repeating their earlier conversation concerning the gossip from the old dock worker, while Edith filled her sister in on Inga's suspicions about Prince Tarkan. Inga noticed Kai pass near them, but he was only going over to her parents. Given everything lately, she wasn't surprised that they left without saying anything.

"Right," Edith said, touching Inga's arm to get her attention, "when Elizabeth came over earlier, I was about to tell you what I heard about Mr. Nilsen."

"Lars, or his father?" Inga asked.

"His father," Edith clarified, then trying to whisper, "if he really was, of course!"

"Your Highness," Kai interrupted, startling them. "I need you to come with me."

* * *

Inga followed Kai to the library. He motioned her to go in, and quietly stepped back. Her parents were both standing inside, but nobody else was there.

"Kai, close the door on your way out, see that we're not disturbed," her mother said quickly.

"What's going on?" Inga asked once they were alone in the room. "One minute I'm just talking at the party, and the next minute Kai comes over and tells me to come with him..."

"It's about your conversation, or, rather, that-" her father stuttered. He looked at his wife for help, his hand nervously at the back of his neck.

"You shouldn't be discussing Lars and his family. Not so carelessly," her mother added.

"You don't want me talking about the ambassador position? Look, it doesn't make much sense, so of course people are going to talk, and Edith and Kate are going to hear a lot of that talk. You've been telling me for years I should spend more time with them, but all of a sudden you don't want me to talk with them?"

"No, of course I don't mean that," her mother assured her. "It's just that you… you should be in a position to dispel rumors if need be."

"That doesn't work when it's about me, so why should I even bother if it's something I don't know about?"

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Well, I haven't actually heard any other rumors. I mean, I guess there was some talk about the older Mr. Nilsen and maybe there was something funny about his death, but the word of some guy on the docks twenty years ago doesn't seem like much to go on."

Her parents looked at each other, clearly not sure what they should say to that.

"His death was completely natural," her mother blurted out.

Inga found the statement odd, suddenly thinking of all the odd things she'd overheard or noticed the last few months. "I didn't think his cause of death needed defending. Unless it does? Is that why Lars is getting this position now? And is that why he was supposed to get a position in the Corona palace guard and not the Diplomatic School? And the pension?"

"It has nothing to do with that," her mother said quickly, "or, well, not direct-"

"What do you mean? Either it has something to do with that, or it doesn't," Inga interrupted, starting to feel overwhelmed with possible conclusions. "It might almost make sense if you were making him ambassador to Corona, but there are at least a dozen other nobles and rich retired trades people you could give the American position to. Usually, someone that young only gets a position like that if-"

Inga looked up as she suddenly remembered Edith's statement connecting the mystery of Lars's family with her own gossip about the Maldonian prince. She glanced back and forth between her parents' faces for clues.

Her mother spoke first, quietly but firmly. "If the person is related to someone important?"

Inga felt her stomach drop. The thought had briefly occurred to her when she had been talking about the rumors with Edith earlier, but hearing her mother say it out loud, she could no longer dismiss the idea of Lars being some kind of relation as nonsense. She tried to stay focused, even though she felt unmoored. "So who is he?" Inga demanded. "Some bastard cousin from your grandfather?"

Her parents looked at each other, shifting uncomfortably.

"Closer than that," her mother clarified, pausing just enough for Inga to interrupt again.

"How much closer are we talking? Your father? Elsa? Is that why she's so concerned?"

"I can explain-" her mother began.

"Are you sure?" her father interrupted, looking at his wife. "Maybe tonight isn't a good time."

"We probably should have told her already," her mother responded, quietly looking up at him, "you were clear on that point."

Her father sighed and nodded.

Inga tried to understand why they weren't just getting to the point. "If you have something to tell me, why not say it already?"

"Inga," her father sighed, "You've had too much to drink, I just think this might be better when you've had some time to rest-"

Inga clenched her fists, finding herself thinking of Prince Tarkan's comment about her playing innocent, and she started to wonder if she had been blind to things. Why was her father wanting to wait to tell her? What had Edith said about Lars and his brother? They certainly didn't look very alike. She could almost see more of her own brothers looking at him. But he couldn't be that close, could he? She would have heard something. Unless there was a cover up… Like when her father had stayed back in Arendelle, and her mother had spent months being courted by foreign princes, while Mrs. Nilsen was hurried out of the country shortly before Lars was born and given a nice pension.

"You?" Inga said, looking at her father. "So all this about nobody before you met Mother?" Inga felt her voice grow increasingly strained. Nothing made sense, but her father was the only conclusion she was coming to at the moment. She felt frantic. "Or was it even before you knew her? The timing doesn't work otherwise… I thought I knew you!"

Her father stood silently, his face pained. His hands were at his sides in tight fists, but he was unwilling to offer any correction or clarification.

Her mother stood up and glared at her daughter. "Stop, Inga!" she shouted, startling both her daughter and her husband.

"I'm sorry." Inga apologized meekly. "I shouldn't have jumped to the conclusion that it's… that Lars is that close."

"No," her mother sighed. "You were absolutely correct. About part of it, at least. Lars is your half brother."

She couldn't read a thing on her mother's face now. It was a complete blank. Her father looked sad.

"Wait, what?" Inga said, looking from her mother to her father.

"This summer you were asking why I'd never talked about my trip to Corona-" her mother began.

"But," Inga interrupted with confusion, "what about Mrs Nilsen? You said you didn't know her-"

"I didn't. Elsa arranged all of that, because he would need a wet nurse. I…" her mother took a breath, looking down. "I asked Elsa not to tell me. I didn't want to know. And I… we… your father and I… we didn't know it was Lars until you asked me about Mrs. Nilsen."

"What… But…" She looked at her father. "You knew?"

"Yes, he's known… Not then. But long enough."

Inga sat down and tried to process everything. She felt a bit sick to her stomach. She stood up again, not wanting to stay where she was.

"We should have told you sooner, but it never seemed like the right time," her mother said.

"And this seemed like the right time?" Inga cried. Her head ached. How could it be her mother? Yet, of course it could have been. She had known the story practically her whole life, she had just never questioned the details of it. And now she had said things to her father that she couldn't take back, she could only apologize. She walked to the door and stepped out of the library, not even able to think now. The sounds of the lingering party guests echoed down the hall as she turned to the staircase in the opposite direction, desperate to get away.


	28. Childhood Fears

Lars and Elizabeth weren't the sort of couple to dance every dance. They had, in fact, met while both of them were avoiding the dancing at a party held by her father at their house back in Corona. Her sisters were all competing for the attention of the young officers by the tent in their back garden, and she had gone around to the front to avoid them. Lars had been dragged to the party by his brother Karl, who had been concerned about his brother's intense focus on his studies, and insisted he needed to take some time to have some fun. The party seemed to Lars to be mostly young ladies trying to catch naval officers, and he soon found himself quietly exploring the gardens, where he ran into Elizabeth.

This evening, Elizabeth's mother and sisters were monopolizing her attention any time she wasn't dancing. They were leaving in the morning, so Lars knew that Elizabeth felt obligated to spend time with them, but she had told him on more than one occasion that when she was away from them, she didn't miss them as much as she felt she should. As soon as Lars got himself away from Mr. Meyer, he made sure to find his wife and ask her to dance.

After the second dance, Lars was once again called over by Mr. Meyer, this time to meet someone who had spent several years working in America. He felt bad for abandoning Elizabeth at the party again, but at least, professionally, it was an interesting conversation. There were more dances while he talked with the other men, and eventually he was able to return and get in one more dance with his new bride.

The party was starting to wind down. He stood holding Elizabeth's hand while her mother and sisters excitedly told her about their travel plans, and all the things they would be able to do once they arrived in Wesselton. He looked around the room as they spoke. The Maldonian ambassador was speaking with Mr. Meyer, while the rest of the Maldonians had left for the evening. Frederick was pestering Elizabeth's father and Admiral Sorensen with more questions about the details of naval operations, and meanwhile he saw the Queen and her husband quietly leave. There was some commotion in the opposite corner of the ballroom, and he noticed Inga being led out by the steward.

Elizabeth looked up at him. "Do you think something's going on?" she whispered as her mother was busy discussing something with her sisters.

"I'm not sure," he murmured back. It did seem odd, particularly since the princess was normally allowed to come and go as she pleased. His wife was worried about her friend, and clearly not interested in the conversation with her mother. "Why don't you go check?"

Elizabeth nodded and tried to quietly go.

"Elizabeth, dear," her mother called, "are you turning in so soon?"

"No, of course not," Elizabeth replied, "I just wanted to check on Inga."

"You'll get plenty of time to talk to her, but we'll be leaving in the morning."

"I just need a minute, Mother, if you'll excuse me, please," Elizabeth said firmly.

"I think the Princess will be fine, dear," her mother replied.

Lars squeezed Elizabeth's hand. "I'll go see if there's anything happening."

"Thank you," she smiled at him.

"Now, what were you telling me, Diana?" Lars heard their mother saying as he walked away.

Lars saw Kate and Edith standing together off to the side of the room, exchanging guilty looks with each other. The sisters were discussing in hushed tones about whether they had gotten Inga in trouble or whether General Mattias would hear about their gossiping and they would be the ones in trouble. The General had left an hour before on their assurance that they would behave themselves.

"Ladies," Lars greeted them.

They both startled a little.

"Elizabeth was worried about Inga, so I promised I'd check on her. Do you know why Kai called her out of the room?"

"No, I swear, we don't," Kate blurted rapidly. Lars rolled his eyes.

"I didn't think there was a reason before, but now you have me suspicious," Lars smiled. He had noticed Inga taking a few extra drinks, but the evening was almost over and it didn't seem like the princess was likely to make a scene.

As he stood around waiting for the girls to say something more, he thought about what might be going on. Elizabeth had told him they were talking about his new position, but he couldn't imagine why that would be a problem. If Elizabeth was there, they might have been talking about Wesselton. Perhaps there had been too much talk of Wesselton; after all, Arendelle had no official diplomatic relations with them. He thought back to the briefings before he had arrived in Arendelle, and shook his head at their foreign policy. And they wanted him to work for them? At least with Wesselton they officially had no relations, unlike the Southern Isles, where they had quietly stopped sending each other ambassadors some twenty-one years before. Of course, he knew from talking to both Mr. Meyer and his father-in-law, Corona profited off of this ambiguity. He knew that Arendelle lived in fear of a naval attack from the Southern Isles, though he could never understand why this was an issue if that kingdom had long ago punished and exiled the would-be claimant to Arendelle's throne. Perhaps if he were working for Arendelle, he could convince them to be more rational in their foreign policy. Even if the Queen wouldn't listen to reason, her children seemed more open.

"We should go now," Edith announced, pulling at her sister's arm. "Good night, Mr. Nilsen."

"Good night, ladies," he replied, not sure how long he had been distracted in his own thoughts.

Elizabeth remained across the room talking to her sisters, glancing over and trying to move them that direction. Her mother had found her husband, and was discussing last minute details. The Captain came striding over to Lars.

"Well, son," he laughed, shaking Lars's hand, "we'll be leaving early, so I think this is goodbye for now. I know you'll write to us. Take good care of Elizabeth. Good night!"

"Good night, sir," Lars replied as his father-in-law left the room.

Elizabeth followed her sisters as her mother herded them out of the party. "I'll see you in our room," she told him as she walked with her mother and sisters up to their rooms, "see if you can find out what happened to Inga, and don't let Mr. Meyer keep you too long."

He saw Mr. Meyer shake hands with the Maldonian ambassador as they bid each other good night, and took his chance to leave the room. There wasn't much point to going to bed just yet, but if Mr. Meyer caught him, there would be another dozen dignitaries he needed to talk to, and they would often insist on taking him to late night drinks. He wasn't sure if it would be prying to look for Inga at this point, but Elizabeth had asked him. Still, it didn't sound like anyone else was in this part of the castle, with everyone either leaving for the town or retiring to rooms inside.

He walked out the door, and headed to the courtyard. The air was crisp, but not too cold, and the moon, though not full, still gave enough light to see his way around. He decided that a walk through the gardens might help clear his head. Ever since the new position had been offered to him, nothing seemed quite right. As he walked along in the moonlight, he thought of his conversation with Elizabeth before the party.

_Elizabeth looked at herself in the mirror trying to decide what to do with her hair. "You never told me how fancy they get at this sort of thing."_

_Lars looked over. "It's not something I've really thought about. Dress for dancing, but it's not like it's some big occasion."_

_"Well," she said securing her hair, "it's the in between things that are tricky to dress for. How do I look?"_

_"Beautiful. What else do you expect me to say?" Lars smiled as she walked over. _

_"You've seemed a bit distracted the last few days. I mean, I know it's a big deal deciding on the position, but I get the feeling it's something else."_

_He sighed. "You're right. Maybe it's just being gone for a week, but it feels… something feels different now. We met with the Queen yesterday afternoon, and I could swear she wouldn't even look at me."_

_"Inga told me her mother wasn't feeling well last week. Perhaps she still hasn't fully recovered."_

_"But her husband, he had been so friendly, and he's made excuses of being busy the times I've run into him."_

Lars sighed to himself. He hadn't discussed this with anyone else. If Mr. Meyer had noticed any difference in attitude, he certainly hadn't said anything, but he was focused on how they would proceed once things were more settled. Corona had mentioned sending royal emissaries, presumably to deal with the special situation. They hadn't given exact dates yet, but he wondered if some of his classmates from the School who were particularly jealous of his placement here would be candidates for his replacement.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the noise of one of the nearby small side doors to the castle slamming open, and he heard a rustle of silk as someone ran by. He quickly realized it was Inga. He looked back at the door to see if anyone was following, but the door was shut again. He walked in the direction she had run, but couldn't see anyone. Suddenly, he heard some noise from a nearby tree, and saw Inga sitting on one of the branches, noisily gasping for breath like she'd been crying. He wanted to call to her, but as soon as he looked up, he found himself quickly looking away, realizing that she hadn't taken any care of how her skirts were arranged. Even if he weren't married now, this wasn't proper for him to see, but Elizabeth was probably still stuck with her mother, and he had the feeling that Inga wasn't in a good frame of mind. As he walked closer to the tree, he noticed a nearby branch, which would avoid the awkward view he found himself looking at from below. Grabbing onto the side of the tree, he started climbing.

"Frederick, is that you?" she called out, not really hiding the sniffling sounds.

"No," Lars called out, hoping she wouldn't be too startled.

He saw her begin to stand up, holding on to the tree trunk. "Lars? What are you doing here?"

"I used to climb trees, too," he laughed.

"No, no, I mean… why are you out here? Were you looking for me?" she asked.

"Yes... Elizabeth was worried about you," he explained, reaching a nearby branch, a little out of breath. "She wanted me to check on you when you were pulled away from the party. Is anything wrong?"

"You can go tell them I'm fine," she told him with a forced calm.

"But-"

"I'm fine."

"Elizabeth said you seemed a little unhappy earlier."

"Everything was just fine earlier," she spat out, looking away.

"Is everything fine with your parents? I saw that they left a little early."

He looked in confusion as Inga began crying again.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked. Surely he would have heard something from the Ambassador or one of the other diplomats if her parents were ill. He couldn't think of any disputes they might have with Inga.

"You have to leave right now," she cried. He didn't know what he was expecting to hear, but that certainly wasn't it.

"Why? I want to know why you're upset. Is there something wrong?"

"I can't tell you." He watched as she carefully lowered herself to the ground.

"Fine," he sighed slowly, "it's personal, none of my business." He lowered himself from his own branch.

"That's just it," she said, almost shouting, "it should be your business!" She looked like she was trying to find a way out, almost like she was trapped.

"I really don't understand. If it's my business, you should tell me!" He grabbed her hand. She quickly pulled it away.

"It's not my secret," she sobbed, turning around and starting to run. Lars hadn't been looking around, and was nearly as surprised as Inga was when she bumped into her father. Lars gasped when he saw him standing there. He hadn't seen him walk up. Inga collapsed in the grass where she was standing and buried her head between her knees.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know what's going on." Lars said as he approached Kristoff. Lars wasn't sure what else he could say. Had he been imagining Kristoff's avoidance of him, or was the reason the same as Inga's reaction to seeing him tonight? Or was it worse now? After all, a young lady screaming and crying, trying to get away from a young man?

"It's nothing you did," Kristoff replied, stepping a little closer to Inga, "but you should probably go back inside now."

"I… sorry again, I hope she feels better soon," Lars stammered. Hurrying back up the path, he heard Inga's muffled sobs.

* * *

Kristoff tried not to slam the door as he walked into the bedroom. He stood rubbing his forehead.

"Where is she now?"

"I left her with Gerda to get her ready for bed. I think she'll be better with some sleep," he sighed, sitting down and taking off his shoes.

Anna stared at the ceiling. "That didn't go well."

"We didn't exactly plan it," he replied flatly. "We probably should have let Inga keep gossiping with those girls. She knows enough not to believe what she hears."

"How are you so calm right now?"

"I'm not calm, I'm exhausted," he replied, collapsing into bed. "She was right, though, it wasn't the right time to tell her about that."

* * *

_Anna quietly opened the door to the library and walked in, though it was more of a waddle. She didn't remember Inga or Fred being quite this large so soon, nor was she this big when she was in Corona, even if she had felt so at the time. _

"_And then she unfroze!" Olaf exclaimed. Inga cheered and giggled. Kristoff had fallen asleep, sprawled across the sofa, snoring. Little Frederick had toddled over and was plucking out notes on the mandolin in the corner._

"_Hi, Mama!" Inga exclaimed, "Olaf was just about to get to the part where you punched the mean man!"_

"_Olaf, are you getting them worked up before bed?" she gently chided him._

"_No, Inga asked for the story!"_

"_Well, why don't you go tell Nanny that it's time to get them to bed?" Anna smiled as he wandered down the hall, and walked over to Kristoff. "Honey, you fell asleep." _

"_I…" he muttered, sitting up quickly, "Okay, I did. Here, you need to sit down." He scooted over and gently tugged her hand. She sat down._

"_I'm fine, really," she smiled. "I wrote to Elsa this morning that it will probably be a little longer. The midwife thinks maybe another month."_

"_You were working too late again," he said, rubbing her belly._

"_Mama!" Inga interrupted, "Why didn't you let Papa punch the man? He says you wouldn't let him." _

"_Inga," Anna sighed, "how many times have you heard this story now?"  
_

"_I don't know. A thousand?" _

"_Well, it's time for bed," she told her, cuddling Frederick who had just climbed up on her lap._

"_Mama, what if you had married that man?" _

"_What?" _

"_What if you had married that man?"_

"_I… I don't know, but you wouldn't be here asking me that question."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because I wouldn't have married your Papa."_

"_But why does that matter?"_

"_Because…" How long was Inga going to continue questioning? "Oh, good, here's Nanny. Good night, Inga, I love you."_

"_Night, Mama, night night, Papa."_

"_Good night," Kristoff said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. They watched as Nanny led Inga and her brother to the nursery._

"_Anna, do you think maybe you should tell her?"_

"_About what?"_

_Kristoff raised an eyebrow. _

"_Oh… she's so young, but I guess at some point... Maybe we can talk about it tomorrow night."_

"_Let's go to bed now. You've been working yourself too hard." Kristoff helped Anna up off the sofa._

"_I'm fine. Besides, I think at this point I know what I'm doing."_

"_Have you thought of any more names?"_

"_Not really, no. Several members of the council had suggestions this afternoon," she laughed._

"_Well, there's still time for figuring that out," he smiled._

_Anna clutched at her belly. "Maybe not…" _

* * *

Lars arrived back at his room in a daze. He washed his face, and changed for bed, trying to figure out what had just happened. He spent several minutes pacing, finally giving up and lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. The door opened.

"Lars, I didn't expect you to be back already," Elizabeth said cheerfully.

"I avoided Mr. Meyer," he replied, trying to sound equally cheerful, knowing she would see right through it, but he was too tired, and it was too late at night now. He could censor himself around her, but he could never keep up the act he put on for diplomatic functions.

"What happened? Did you find out why Inga had to leave the party?"

"No, I didn't… that is, I didn't find out why she left. I ran into her later. She was upset."

"Did she say why?"

"No, and… it was very confusing. Her father found her. I'm really not sure what was going on."

"Well, let's just sleep on it. I'll see if I can find her tomorrow. Maybe she'll be more willing to talk to me."

"I suppose you're right."


	29. Facing the Music

"Mother?"

"Come in," his mother called from the desk as Frederick knocked at the study door.

"Just me?" he asked, looking around.

"Yes," she answered hesitantly. "Inga isn't feeling well."

"Really? Is there something wrong? I know she had kind of a bad time at the party, but that was two days ago now."

"She'll be fine, she just needs some time to herself."

Frederick sat down at the desk opposite his mother, opening the letters that she didn't need to look at personally. The task was rather mindless, and he occasionally amused himself by wielding his letter opener like a weapon, swishing it around.

"Fred, please focus," his mother chided.

"Sorry, Inga and I were having sword fights in here last month when we got bored, so I kind of got in the habit."

"Well… well, just stay focused, please?"

He took out the next letter. It had the same handwriting as the one Inga had grabbed out of his hand a few weeks before, and he hadn't noticed that writing on any other letters. He had the feeling it wasn't one she'd want their mother reading first. Besides, an excuse for a walk might be nice, even if it was inside on a warm sunny day, it was a few minutes to himself.

"This one is for Inga. I'll take it to her."

"If it's from a suitor, it might be better for me to read it first."

"I don't think so."

"You don't think so? Fine, take it to her, but please don't get her upset."

Frederick nodded and walked down the hall with the letter that was clearly sent from Corona. His sister had been pretty eager to get the last letter he saw from Corona before anyone else, and he had the feeling she wouldn't want their mother reading this one first.

He knocked on Inga's door.

"Who is it?" she called from inside.

"Me."

He heard some rustling, and then she opened the door. She was in her nightgown, hair tangled.

"What is it?" she asked flatly. He wasn't used to seeing her disheveled. Even if she didn't pay close attention to fashion, she was usually neatly groomed and dressed by this time of morning.

"You have a letter from Corona. I promise I didn't open it. Mother wanted to read it first, but I said I'd take it to you instead."

Inga's expression was blank as she picked up the envelope and closely examined it. "You… nobody's opened this?" she asked as if she hadn't heard what he'd said a moment before. He was supposed to be the distractible one, not her. It was almost like she was still asleep, or in a trance. He couldn't remember her being quite like this before, even when she was sick.

"Inga, is everything all right? I haven't seen you since the party. Look, I'm sorry I asked you to snoop into Prince Tarkan's business. I was mostly joking."

"What?" Inga looked up with confusion. "Sorry, I wasn't listening."

"Nevermind. Is everything okay?"

"Fine, it's fine," she said, closing her eyes.

"It's a nice day, you should get out," he suggested.

"That… that's actually a good idea," she mumbled, looking down at the letter in her hands.

"I should get back," Frederick said as he turned to go.

"Thank you for bringing the letter," Inga called out as he walked away. He waved in acknowledgement.

* * *

There was chocolate. A lot of things could be ignored when there was chocolate. Like the truth. But they had a plan for Lars, giving him the ambassador position, and while there was gossip, all of it was so far off the mark that it was nothing to be concerned about. True, Inga hadn't taken it well when they told her about Lars, and they probably should have waited to tell her.

Another chocolate.

Why was Frederick taking so long getting back?! Why was this even bothering her? He could be forgetful, and he was still just a boy, even if he now had six inches on her in height. But something about the way he had insisted on taking the letter... Surely it was nothing. Had Inga told him? That didn't seem likely. Kristoff had mentioned that Inga had said it wasn't her secret to share. She would keep it. There would be a better time to tell Frederick. He was more easy going than his sister, but he might be too oblivious to the larger implications. He certainly didn't seem concerned that she didn't want him to join the navy. Would he be joining? That would be what the Admiral had in mind, wouldn't it? She would need to ask the Admiral. What had gotten into Frederick's head? Why did he think that she would be happy with the idea?

The chocolate was gone, and it was almost lunch. She could ring for someone to bring some proper food up to the study, but perhaps she could find Kristoff first. She hadn't asked him where he would be this morning, but she could check the stables first and then go back to the bedroom for a more private lunch. Walking down the corridor, she heard music coming from the ballroom. Inga had told her that Frederick had started playing piano again. She hadn't heard him play in a long time, and the playing sounded quite good. The doors to the ballroom were already open, and Frederick's back was turned, so she stood and watched him play.

* * *

Lars left the Ambassador's office. It was lunchtime, and Elizabeth had been planning to have lunch in town with his mother. He hoped he could catch them.

He heard music coming from the piano in the ballroom. It was a piano piece he had never heard, and it sounded much newer than the pieces that Elizabeth's sisters would play in their parlor in the evenings.

As Lars approached the doors to the ballroom, he noticed the Queen standing silently in the doorway. He tried to turn around and leave, but the music paused at a page turn, and Lars winced as his shoe squeaked against the floor at just that moment. The Queen turned around at the noise and stared.

"Your Majesty, please excuse me," he stammered with a quick bow.

"No, please..." the Queen pleaded, oddly flushed, looking like she meant to say more.

"Mother, is that you?" Frederick called as he came out to the hall. "I'm sorry, I meant to come straight back to help you."

"Don't worry," she assured him. "I enjoy listening to you play. You should do that more often."

"Okay," Frederick mumbled, blushing a little. Lars was a short distance behind the Queen, trying to find a way to politely get away, and Frederick noticed him before he had the chance. "Lars! What are you doing here? You've been too busy, I haven't seen you lately."

"Oh, hi," Lars replied, feeling almost physically unsteady from the contrast between the Queen's nervousness and her son's gregarious enthusiasm. "I was passing by and heard you playing; I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"Oh, sorry, I guess I should close the door when I do that," Frederick apologized awkwardly, glancing at his mother.

"No, it sounded very nice," Lars insisted. "I have no idea what it was, but you play very well."

"I guess I need to get better at turning pages, huh?" Frederick smirked.

"I… what do you mean?" Lars wondered if his embarrassment was that obvious.

"It's just that I think I blew your cover," Frederick laughed.

"I wasn't… I wasn't trying to sneak around," Lars protested, glancing at the Queen.

"You'll excuse me," Anna interrupted. "I was going to get myself lunch. Frederick, you can do what you like, and I'll see you this afternoon." Lars stepped to the side of the corridor as she passed by, watching until she turned a corner.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you," Frederick apologized. "I wouldn't worry about it. Everyone has been a bit odd lately. Are you getting lunch? I need to get out."

"Elizabeth and my mother were talking about going into town for lunch, and I was hoping to meet them. You're welcome to join us, I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

They began walking through the courtyard and toward the town. They were silent until they reached the gates, when Lars broke the silence.

"Back there," Lars began, "right after your mother excused herself, you said everyone has been acting odd lately."

"Yes?" Frederick prodded as Lars trailed off.

"It's just…" Lars thought about what he wanted to ask. Frederick seemed considerably calmer than his sister, almost to a fault sometimes, but it probably meant he was a safe person to confide in. "I had been noticing the same thing… well, I don't know if it's the same thing, but since I got back, several people have been acting differently around me. Your sister-"

"I think that's my fault," Frederick interrupted. "I mean, I was kind of teasing her at the party."

"I… I really don't think it's that. I think I've seen enough of you two, a little teasing from you shouldn't get her to the state she was in. Did you see her after she left the party? Besides, it's- I hope you won't find this offensive, but your parents- even your father seems distant lately."

"A lot of people would say that's normal," Frederick laughed.

"Fine, distant might have been the wrong word. I don't know. Maybe I'm imagining things. Maybe it's just the… the Ambassador thing."

"Are you accepting that?" Frederick asked. "You know you don't have to. I think it's crazy. I know Inga was rather upset when they told us about it, too."

"I suppose that was why she was upset, I don't know… but, yes, that would make sense, I think. Still, I can't make a decision until Mr. Meyer hears from Corona."

"You can't officially decide," Frederick corrected, "but I hope you know what you want. It would be nice if someone around here did."

* * *

"Have you heard Frederick playing recently?"

Kristoff looked up. They had been eating silently, windows open to enjoy what might be the last nice weather before winter. He supposed she was trying to make conversation, and just shook his head to let her continue whatever she wanted to say.

"He's very good," she continued. "I hadn't really paid attention before, but I heard him playing on my way up here, and stopped to watch."

Kristoff smiled a bit, then sighed. "He'll be fine. They'll all be fine."

"Will he? Why did the Admiral have to get the idea of the Navy into his head?" Anna vented. Kristoff wasn't quite sure why she was bringing this up right now.

"I don't think the Admiral put that in his head. It was all he was talking about when they got back from Corona. Sorensen just saw an opportunity. You know he's been asking for more money. He's playing the long game. The Admiral is not about to take too many risks with Frederick."

"I suppose so, but it still worries me," Anna admitted as she got up to ring for their lunch to be cleared.

Kristoff followed and took her hand. "It will all be fine."

"We don't know that," she said quickly. "I don't even know if we should tell Frederick about Lars now. Maybe we should have waited to tell him together with Inga. Maybe if Frederick had been there she might have been a little less…"

"Less what?" he asked.

"Not throwing around wild accusations at everyone."

"She didn't accuse you-"

"And I'm the one person who wasn't blameless."

"Lots of people have been keeping the truth from her, not just you."

"That's not what I was talking about."

Kristoff exhaled. "I don't know how you can blame yourself for that. I don't blame anyone but him."

"I shouldn't have-"

"You were young."

"I was eighteen."

"Inga is seventeen."

"I know that," Anna snapped. A moment later, she looked up apologetically. "Sorry. But she… it's not the same."

"She hasn't been isolated. She's seen at least some of how the world works, but still-"

"Still, she knew enough to send that Prince Turkey packing, whatever his name was."

Kristoff chuckled. "Even Frederick picked up on that one being slimy. I wouldn't give Inga too much credit there. Do you really think she would have done better than you?"

"Maybe. I mean… I don't know." She stared out toward the fjord. "Is that a ship? It looks official, but I thought the Belgian delegation wasn't coming until later in the week."

"The stable hands will be getting back from lunch soon, and they usually know what's going on in town," Kristoff offered, glad to play along with Anna's change of topic.

* * *

"Please, let me pay," Lars insisted.

"I've got this," Frederick said, grabbing the bill, which they had been in a friendly argument over for several minutes since Halima had brought it over.

Lars turned his head to the bright light from the door opening as Meibel skipped in. She was looking around the room, her eyes adjusting to the relative darkness inside. Lars had met her on his first day exploring the town, helping out in her guardian's establishment. Initially he was surprised to learn that the elderly couple had taken in so many wards, but as he learned more, each one made sense. Isabel, the oldest, now married, had felt to the General like practically an obligation, since she had been some relation to someone under his command. Edith and Kate, he later learned, were sisters whose widowed mother had died along with their infant brother, at almost the same time as the twin princes were born. He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to his brother Karl if such a thing had happened when he was born. Meibel was several years younger than the other girls, almost eleven now, though no one knew her age exactly, since she had been rescued from a shipwreck.

"Frederick!" Meibel shouted once she spotted them. "Did you see the ship? I saw it on my way home from school just now. Can you come and tell me which one it is?" she grabbed his hand, and he let the bill fall on the table as she led him outside.

Lars quietly picked up the bill and walked over to pay Halima, then went out, intending to tell Frederick he needed to get back to work soon. As his eyes adjusted to the early afternoon sunlight, he was shocked to see an official ship from Corona docked a short distance away. He could tell it wasn't Elizabeth's father's ship, but he hadn't heard any news of another ship scheduled to arrive in Arendelle any time soon.

"Hey, Lars," Frederick called over from near the dock, "did you know about this?"

"No," Lars admitted. "Certainly not this soon, at any rate. Did you hear anything?"

"Inga would be the one to know," Frederick laughed. "She keeps getting letters from Corona."

"Oh?" Lars raised an eyebrow, wanting to ask more, but Frederick wasn't paying attention.

Meibel was climbing the low wall near the docks to get a better look at the ship. Frederick was about to follow, but stopped and looked toward the square. Lars followed his gaze, and saw his mother and Elizabeth returning from their picnic. He waved at them. They both waved back happily, and Elizabeth quickly made her way to him.

"That's one of Corona's royal ships," she whispered as she stood close to Lars. "My father hadn't heard anything about one of them coming here. Do you think they knew about- no, they couldn't have, could they?"

Lars looked at the ship. Someone in official Corona livery left the ship, and after a brief discussion with the harbormaster, hurried over to the castle. "I need to catch up with him, I think," Lars whispered.

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked, holding on to her husband's arm.

"I was on my way back from lunch as it was."

"Oh! Look who's here!" Frederick shouted. Lars looked up to see the young Prince and Princess standing by the gangway, apparently arguing with the ship's Master about being let off or not. Frederick ran over to the ship, and Lars watched as Frederick talked the Master into allowing his friends off the ship.

"Henry, Hilde," Frederick said, leading the pair toward Lars and Elizabeth, "do you know Lars?"

Lars gave a respectful bow, and Elizabeth curtseyed as the two approached.

"You used to be guests of our parents at the palace, you and your brother, I remember," Prince Henry said. "Hilde, do you remember Lars Nilsen?"

"A little," his sister admitted, "but I do remember Elizabeth from her visit last month."

"Your Highness," Elizabeth addressed Hilde, "have you met Lars's mother?"

Mrs. Nilsen curtseyed and smiled.

"I've seen you around Corona," Hilde smiled.

"So," Frederick interrupted, "Why are you here? Is it about Lars?"

"This is probably not the best place to discuss it," Henry said, looking around. "At any rate, the messenger ran on ahead to find Mr. Meyer."

"I really should go, then," Lars insisted.

"Why? You're with us. I think that should satisfy His Excellency," Henry laughed.

"We might as well head to the castle, though, if there is something important to tell us," Frederick suggested.

Lars noticed Prince Henry looking around as they walked through the market, looking less sure of himself than his laughter would indicate. He saw Hilde looking at him, as well.

Hilde stepped over to Frederick. "Where is your sister?"

"Which one?" he smirked.

"Inga was with us until a few minutes ago," Elizabeth offered, "but she disappeared."

"I'm glad to hear she got out today. She hasn't been feeling well since the party the other night," Frederick sighed, "but I guess she went back already, too bad."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that she's been unwell," Hilde said, glancing at her brother, who seemed very quiet now.

Lars had slowed down to offer his mother his arm, and she seemed to be particularly pensive as they walked along. He supposed Corona was going to give an official word on whether, or when, he was going to be taking the new position. He hadn't spoken with her about it, and that would need to be fixed.

"Mother?" he asked when he noticed there was no one else nearby.

"Yes, Lars?"

"I've never really asked you about, well, how you know the former Queen. It's just that the Ambassador was asking me why they might be taking a special interest in me here, with the new position, and that was the only thing we could think of."

"Perhaps… I think…" she sighed, "I think it might be good if we found some time to speak privately, just you and me."

Lars looked at his mother, trying to decipher her expression, and failing. "If you think that's best, then certainly. Perhaps after dinner tonight?"

She nodded as they walked across the bridge to the castle, following the others.

* * *

Anna looked down at the commotion in the courtyard. She had seen a messenger run through. A few minutes later, she saw Frederick walk into the courtyard with a young woman whose picture she had seen somewhere recently. Elizabeth was with them, as well, and a moment later Margit Nilsen walked in with Lars. Anna wondered where they had all been, and if she would learn whatever news the messenger had. Frederick stopped at the stable, and Kristoff came out. Frederick introduced the young woman to Kristoff, and then he looked around, said something to the young woman, and the two of them both looked around. The young woman shrugged. Elizabeth joined Margit Nilsen, who had caught up with the group. Lars was nowhere to be seen.

Anna suddenly remembered that the messenger was dressed in Corona livery. She remembered that Elsa had said something about writing there again. So of course they were here already. She glanced out again to see the young woman- of course, it was Princess Clothilde, she had received the official photograph with the invitation that summer, and her brother, Prince Henry, Anna also recognized, was just then entering the courtyard.

There was a knock at the door. "Your Majesty?"

"Come in, Kai."

"Your Majesty, a ship just arrived from Corona-"

"I saw," she interrupted, "and the young Prince and Princess are here. Did the messenger find you?"

"Yes, and he asked to be directed to their Ambassador. Would you like to have a small dinner arranged for this evening?"

"That would be lovely, yes," she smiled.

"Your Majesty," Kai addressed her somewhat hesitantly. "If the Prince and Princess are there, the Ambassador will probably expect to be invited to dinner, and if the topic is what we expect…"

"That will be fine. Let Kristoff know, and inform Frederick that he should come."

"And Inga?" Kai asked.

"She hasn't been feeling well," Anna told him, "but I'll tell her and let her decide. Thank you, Kai."

* * *

"Sir?" Lars knocked on the Ambassador's door, not sure who he'd find in the room.

"Mr. Nilsen," the Ambassador replied, opening the door, then gesturing to the solemn looking man standing in the room. "This is Georg Weber, special emissary from Corona."

"Mr. Weber," Lars nodded.

The Ambassador cleared his throat, looking expectantly at Mr. Weber, who remained silent. "Mr. Weber has made very efficient time getting here from Corona, it seems. More importantly, Corona has made the decision regarding the American position for you, and the ship that just arrived has three candidates for me to select from to replace you."


	30. The Timing and the Setting

Inga securely shut the door to her room after Frederick delivered the letter and sat down by the window. She couldn't remember what she had been doing before he knocked on the door a moment before, but he was probably right that she needed to get outside. A change of scenery would help, or at least something to focus on besides her thoughts. The same thoughts had been playing over and over, and she needed to find something else to think about.

She looked at the letter. She knew the writing. Frederick seemed to understand enough to know not to open it. The date on the letter was a few days after the previous one, so not a reply to her most recent letter. She wasn't ready to read it, but she could guess what it was: he had found time to speak to his parents privately, and either they had told him the truth, or he wouldn't know the truth, and now she couldn't tell him. She wanted to tell him. It was going to eat at her until she could say something to him.

She hadn't done anything since the party except changing into her nightgown, and she had quickly fallen into a restless sleep. She had woken up with a terrible headache yesterday, which made it easy enough to tell everyone that she wasn't feeling well. She tried to forget what she now knew about her mother. She tried not to think about what she had said to her father.

Of course, telling herself not to think about something never worked.

_I'm sorry, Papa! _

She remembered telling him that in tears after Lars had left.

_Let's get you to bed._

That was all he had said to her before taking her inside and finding Gerda to make sure she would be looked after. He had told her mother that they shouldn't tell her right then, that it wasn't the right time. She had certainly had too much to drink, she couldn't deny that. Even so, how could she have let herself jump to those conclusions about Lars and her father? It was her father. She rarely saw him talk with anyone outside of their family, and he certainly didn't have a reputation of any sort among anyone she had ever heard mention him. And she had often overheard people gossiping about her family when they thought she was too young to understand, but no one had ever mentioned her father, except perhaps to say he had been unsociable.

Of course, when a prince or a king had a secret like her mother's, it was never very much of a secret, was it? Half the time they gave the bastard a noble title, and even if they never acknowledged them, nobody cared unless they tried to take the throne. But a queen? Even when they had secure power and position, the most obvious cases were still hushed up, records destroyed, people paid off. What would people have thought about her mother if this had been widely known? Inga had heard whisperings about the Southern Isles from visiting diplomats. Would they have made a claim to the throne? She had once overheard some visiting diplomats who hadn't closed a door entirely. _"I don't know why the Queen is so afraid of the Southern Isles. That supposed marriage he claimed was never valid to begin with, and even if it had been, it was never consummated." _For some reason, she had remembered those words, even though they didn't make sense to her at the time. During her lessons that same afternoon, she had asked her governess what "consummated" meant, and her governess had told her she must mean "consumed" and explained that word, instead.

Everyone had been lying in little ways for years. Her mother had kept the truth from them, of course, but could she blame her? Even if she hadn't been queen, she could have been ruined, forced to spend life in a convent or begging in the streets. Perhaps some actresses could get away with such a thing. That's why "respectable girls" couldn't go into such careers, wasn't it?

Her aunt, it seemed, had been involved in all of this, too, but somehow, that bothered Inga less. Her aunt was a mysterious person, really. Of course she would have secrets.

And what of Corona's involvement? How many of them knew? The Crown Princess had been involved from almost the start, but it was never clear if she had told anyone else, even her husband or the King or Queen.

Some leaves blew against her window, startling her. She realized she had been sitting staring at the letter for a while, so she went ahead and opened it.

_Corona, September 30th, 1864_

_Dear Inga,_

_It's been a week since I last wrote, and you probably haven't even gotten my letter yet, so I apologize for sending two letters before you even have a chance to write a reply. I hope everything is well there. I have the feeling that I will get your next letter as soon as you've received my last letter, at least, I hope so._

_Since you're probably wondering, I finally did have a chance to ask my mother some of your questions about the time your mother visited Corona, but she said there wasn't very much to tell, just a series of balls and then winter in the countryside. So now I'm even more curious, since there are much nicer places to spend the winter if you're already traveling. Have you learned anything more?_

_However, my real reason for writing again, is that my family have decided to go ahead and send me and my sister on our Grand Tour very soon, possibly by the beginning of October, and they decided to make Arendelle the second stop. You'll get the official word some time soon, I imagine. _

_Sincerely,_

_Henry_

Inga felt herself shaking, and quickly set the letter down for fear she would crumple it. She wondered if his reply to her last letter would come before he arrived. The thought of writing a reply scared her; she couldn't tell him anything, not yet. Henry obviously knew nothing, but his mother, at least, knew everything. What else could she write about?

She placed the letter inside a book she had tried and failed to read the day before, and collapsed back on her bed. She forced herself back up, and found her simplest dress from her wardrobe. Edith, or was it Kate, had once told her that it made her look just like a shopkeeper. A very nicely dressed shopkeeper, the other one had quickly added. She wanted to blend in, and not be noticed if she could help it. She really didn't know where she was going. She would walk somewhere. Perhaps it would help clear her thoughts.

She escaped through the kitchen door, seeing no one on the way. The weather was pleasant, with an unseasonably warm breeze coming off the harbor. It was market day. Inga spotted an unfamiliar face at an apple stall and walked over, smiling as the merchant addressed her as "Miss." She bought an apple to have as a snack, and one to take with her, then kept walking out of town and up along the cliffs. As she got higher, she could see a ship approaching the harbor, but couldn't identify it from the glare. She thought about taking a closer look later when she was back in town.

* * *

"Inga!" Elizabeth called from the field.

Inga looked over and saw a picnic set out, which Elizabeth and Mrs. Nilsen were sharing. She walked over hesitantly. Did Mrs. Nilsen know that Inga had been told? _Your mother deserves happiness, _she had told Inga when they had met in Corona. It had seemed an odd thing to say.

"It's so good to see you!" Elizabeth exclaimed as Inga walked over to their picnic. "I was really worried about you. I'm sorry I couldn't get away from my mother. Lars said you were upset about something, but he didn't say what. Never mind that, she and my sisters are on my father's ship, on their way to Wesselton."

Inga looked over at Mrs. Nilsen, who looked suddenly tired. Trying to smile and look unaffected, Inga sat down between the two. "Thank you for your concern," Inga managed. She pulled out her apple, taking a bite to avoid having to say more.

Elizabeth looked over at her before starting to speak. "How are you feeling, Inga?"

Inga carefully finished chewing the piece of apple in her mouth, staring out at the fjord, trying to think of how truthful she wanted to be. "I'm fine, really. I mean… No, I'm fine," she sighed. She was sure it was obvious that she wasn't fine.

Mrs. Nilsen looked over at her sympathetically. "My dear, if there's anything you need to talk about, perhaps later you can come see me."

"Um, thank you, but-"

"Inga, you can talk to me, too," Elizabeth interrupted innocently. Mrs. Nilsen looked knowingly at Inga.

"Of course, thank you," she replied nervously, quickly taking another bite from her apple.

The picnic lunch had been consumed, and Inga did her best to help them pack things up into their basket. She paused as they were heading down the hill.

"Were you heading somewhere else?" Elizabeth asked. "We're going back into town, and you're welcome to come with us."

"I… I really had no plans," she admitted, joining them on the walk down. She could always believably claim not feeling well and return to her room once they got there. She watched the ship that she had seen on her way up move toward the inner harbor as they walked along. The glare of the sun on the water made it hard to see, but she thought she noticed official Corona insignia on the sails, but that made no sense. Their naval ship had left the day before, and no other ships were scheduled to arrive for several more days.

As they approached the center of town, she saw that the ship was already docked. She had heard people grumbling in the past about how slow the harbor master was, and supposed they were finally fixing whatever they needed to in order to speed things up. As they got closer to the harbor, she spotted Lars crossing the square, and she wasn't ready to talk to him after the other night. She was going to say something to Elizabeth and Mrs. Nilsen as an excuse to leave, but there was enough of a crowd from the market that she simply stood back a moment and lost herself in it.

She saw Frederick talking to Meibel, and Elizabeth and Mrs. Nilsen had gone over to Lars. A messenger ran from the ship into the castle. Inga stood indecisively by a market stall, doing her best to blend in. The stand next to her was full of squashes of various colors and shapes, some of them familiar, others new to her, and she wondered what the unusual looking ones might be good for.

Looking up, she saw Frederick leading a group including Lars and Elizabeth from the docks to the castle. She was focusing on Lars, who held back to walk with Mrs. Nilsen, and then saw Elizabeth walk on to join the young woman at the front of the group who was walking next to Frederick. As they passed near the stall where she was standing, she suddenly realized the young woman was Hilde.

"Hi," she heard behind her. She whirled around, knocking over some of the produce in the stall to see Henry smiling nervously at her. "Are you hiding from me?"

She stooped down to start picking up the vegetables that had fallen. The merchant had come around, and was scowling at her.

"I'll pay for this," Henry told the man, before stooping down next to Inga.

"I buy stuff here all the time, it's not a big deal," she grumbled. She felt warm, and she told herself that it was just the sun, even though she had been standing in the shade for several minutes. "Sorry," she added, realizing she had spoken too quickly, "It's just… I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. I only got your letter this morning."

"And I got your last letter while we were at sea yesterday," he replied, looking at the bruised gourd he had picked up from the ground. "Are you going to explain that sometime? My mother also got a letter that just showed up seemingly out of nowhere, right before they decided to send us on our trip earlier than planned." He glanced up at her half smiling.

"Oh," she muttered, placing another squash up on the stall while the merchant bagged them up. "I suppose I should tell you, shouldn't I? I would like to get letters from you sooner."

When they had picked up the last of the fallen squash, Henry helped her up. She looked around the square while he settled with the merchant, who handed him the bag of various squashes. She didn't see Frederick or the others, though she did see Meibel still watching the ship unload. Meibel would probably tell Kate and Edith if she saw Inga.

"I could take those to the kitchen," Inga proposed, still in a bit of a daze, "though our cook always complains when those green ones are too big like these."

"Does it matter?" Henry asked, somewhat confused.

"When that kind gets too big, they're just flavorless and bland. But people in the market always seem to buy the largest ones they can find." She wasn't sure why she was telling him this. She wished she could just say thank you and be done with it like other people seemed to do.

"I see," he replied, looking around, holding the bag of produce. "I'm sorry, I didn't even ask where you were going. I was following everyone into the castle, but-"

"I should be heading back now. I'll go through the kitchen so that I can leave these there," she said, moving to take the bag from him.

"I can carry it," he said somewhat defensively. Inga shrugged with acceptance as they began walking toward the castle, not sure why he felt the need to do this himself.

"I guess I should ask how long you'll be here," she offered as conversation. She wasn't sure what she should ask. They had never said anything about the ball in any of their letters. Did he think about it?

"A few days," he replied sounding oddly sad, "maybe a bit longer, depending how things go."

"What sort of things?" Inga asked, unsure of what answer to expect.

"They… they didn't really tell us much before we left. I think it's got to do with that ambassador situation you told me about," he explained as he shifted the bag of vegetables to the side away from her. "All I can say for certain is we have a few candidates from the Diplomatic School with us."

"Really?" Inga swallowed a bit, not wanting to think about what Henry had taken to calling 'the ambassador situation'. "Surely they didn't need to send you for that," she added. She saw his face tense up and immediately regretted her choice of words.

"They didn't," he admitted, "I suppose I should have stayed back."

"I didn't mean it that way," she apologized, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're here."

"You're sure you won't be looking forward to my departure, too?" Henry stopped and smirked at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, moving her hand away.

"Your last letter, you were looking forward to the Maldonian prince leaving, I think? Or was he not so disappointed?" Henry gave a half smile, clearly trying to make light of the situation.

Inga felt dizzy, and looked away as she leaned on the stone wall of the bridge. "I forgot I even wrote that. It seems so long ago now."

"Wasn't it just a few days ago?" he asked, frowning.

"It was. He was horrible, and I'm glad he's gone... I'd almost forgotten about him, though," Inga paused as she realized the truth of what she was saying. She looked through the gates and caught a glimpse of her father talking to Frederick and Hilde, and wanted to do her best to get inside without being seen. "Thank you for helping me with those," she said, grabbing the bag of squash from Henry. "I should take them to the kitchen now. You should go catch up with everyone. I'm sure I'll see you later." She hugged the bag of produce to her chest and hurried to the side door to the kitchen.

* * *

Anna walked down the hall to Inga's room. She knocked at her daughter's door, but heard no response.

"Inga? I can come back later," Anna called through the door.

"Mother?" Inga stood behind her in the hallway.

"Oh! You went out?" Anna asked, "Is everything okay? I hope Frederick didn't cause a problem with that letter this morning."

"What? Yes, um, no… I mean, yes, I went out for a walk. Frederick suggested it, and the letter was for me, it wasn't a problem." Inga looked down at the gourd in her hand she had saved from her delivery to the kitchen, fiddling with it nervously.

"You're getting letters from Corona? What about?"

"Do you really expect me to tell you?" Inga glared.

Anna took a breath. "I'm sorry. You… you don't have to tell me everything, of course."

"Um, good. Thanks." Inga fumbled with the gourd during the uncomfortable silence that followed.

"What's that?"

"This?" Inga looked at what was in her hand. "Oh, our cook said this one was just decorative, so I could keep it if I wanted. She's going to figure out how to use the rest of it."

"Did we get an order of squash?"

"Um, not exactly… it's… it's something I saw at the market."

"Why did you buy squash at the market? How much did you buy, exactly? Oh, never mind-" Anna stopped herself. "I came here to let you know that we're having a small formal dinner tonight. A ship just arrived from Corona this afternoon, and it will be… everyone from Corona here on official business will be there, if you understand what I mean. You may come if you like, but we can make excuses for you if you'd rather not."

"Everyone from Corona?" Inga asked in an oddly eager tone. "Who will be there, exactly?"

"Would you like an official list?" Anna tried not to sound exasperated. "I can ring for Kai. I think he'd just like to know if you'll be there or not."

"Please tell him I'll be there," Inga told her quickly, walking to her door. She paused before going inside. "I'm sorry for what I said the other night. Most of it, anyway."

Anna stared silently at the door after Inga had closed it behind her. She hadn't expected Inga to agree to come to dinner. Asking had been a courtesy, and she had meant it as an excuse to check in on her. But she had checked in on her, hadn't she? Once again, it wasn't the conversation she had intended to have. She sighed as she turned and went back to get herself ready for dinner. Tonight's dinner would not be the time to talk to her.

"What was she doing buying vegetables?" Anna looked around to check that she was alone, realizing that she had said this out loud. As much as she could understand her daughter's desire for privacy, especially right now, some of her behavior was simply confusing.

When Anna was back at her room, she found Kristoff already inside changing for dinner. He looked over as he heard the door open, smiling a bit.

"Did you know about the visitors?" he asked her.

"No. I don't think anyone knew. Did Kai tell you about the dinner?"

"Yes. Is it going to be as awkward as I think? I get the idea that Corona has made the decision for Lars about taking up our offer."

"Probably even more awkward."

"What, does he know now?"

"No, I'm very certain he doesn't, he… no, he doesn't know." She paused. "What I meant was, Inga told me she'll be coming."

"You talked to her?"

"I suppose you could call it that."

"How is she?"

"She went out today, so I suppose that's good. She kind of apologized, and I wasn't even going to ask her to. She's right to be angry."

"And she wants to come to dinner tonight? Does she know who will be there? I mean, not just Lars, but the last I heard, she was still rather annoyed with Ambassador Meyer for all the talk about trying to set her up with Prince Henry. I mean, he seemed pleasant enough for the two minutes I saw him today, but..."

"Yes, I know. She won't tell me anything one way or another. But she wants to go. I'll ask Kai to see how he can work out the seating."

* * *

"Inga, you made it!" Frederick shouted happily as she walked into the dining room.

Their parents hadn't arrived yet, and it seemed that Anton and Peder were still too young to be invited to this dinner. The only person in the room besides her brother that she recognized was Ambassador Meyer, who quickly ended his discussion with the young men sitting near him when he noticed her enter the room.

"Good evening, Your Excellency," she greeted him.

"Your Highness," he replied, standing up to bow, the other men quickly following suit. "If I may be permitted, this is Mr. Weber, special emissary from Corona."

Inga nodded as Mr. Weber bowed. She waited for him to introduce the others, but he seemed to be finished. "Your Excellency will excuse my curiosity, but I didn't get a chance to see tonight's guest list. Will you introduce me?"

"Oh, excuse me, Your Highness. These are the young men that Corona has sent as candidates to be my new private secretary."

"I see," Inga replied, doing her best not to let her face show any sign of emotion. After all, she remembered, Prince Henry had told her he was traveling with candidates for the position. She took a slow breath to keep her voice steady. "And, Your Excellency, will anyone else from Corona be joining us this evening?"

"Their Royal Highnesses will be here shortly," he replied. Inga nodded. "Oh, and of course, Mr. Nilsen. He informed me that he is escorting his mother and young bride to your General's house for dinner tonight, but he will be here, as he is still my employee for now."

"Thank you, Your Excellency," she replied, sitting down next to Frederick at the opposite end of the table.

"Inga, did you know Corona was sending a ship here?" Frederick whispered to her. "Was that in one of your letters?"

"No," she replied. "I mean, he said they would be coming at some point, but not this soon-"

"Ha!" he laughed a little too loud, "I knew it was him!"

"Wait, what?" she glared at him, realizing what he had done. Before she got a chance to say more, the door opened, and Kai announced her parents' arrival. She retreated into formality to keep herself steady: stand up, curtsey slightly, sit back down when her parents sat down. She felt their eyes on her, but she was afraid to look up. A footman came around to fill the glasses, and she held her hand up before her glass was even half full to stop him, when she heard the door open again.

"Oh, good, Lars is here!" Frederick whispered to her as the proper greetings and acknowledgements were made once again. She nodded blankly, thankful that he had to sit at the other end of the table with the Ambassador and the others.

The door opened once more. Kai stepped inside for the announcements. "His Royal Highness, Prince Henry of Corona, and Her Royal Highness, Princess Clothilde of Corona."

They stood up. The Prince and Princess bowed to the Queen, greeted her father, and then walked over to their side of the table. Henry shook Frederick's hand heartily, and then walked over to Inga. This was all protocol, she reminded herself, trying to breathe calmly. Without thinking, she held out her hand to Henry. He looked her in the eye as he took her hand in both of his and kissed it. She swallowed.

Hilde cleared her throat behind him. Henry gave her hand a subtle squeeze before dropping it, and walked over to acknowledge the Ambassador and Emissary who were bowing to him along with the others from Corona.

"I'm so glad to see that you're feeling better," Hilde smiled as she clasped her hands and kissed both her cheeks. Inga reciprocated, and then sat down as Hilde left to greet the others.

Inga tried to pass the dinner by focusing on minutia, not thinking about either the situation with Lars and her parents or whatever had just happened with Henry. Frederick was to her left, Hilde to her right. Her mother was at the head of the table next to Frederick, and their father on her other side. Henry was sitting across from her, next to her father. Normally at a smaller formal dinner like this, she would have been seated in between her father and any foreign guests, as something of a buffer, but her mother must have spoken to Kai about changing the seating arrangement. Henry did his best trying to make conversation with her father. She caught herself smiling, thinking that her father would probably get a good laugh if Henry shared the story of how they met, but of course, he couldn't do that in this company. Inga sighed, realizing her father was looking at her again. She had let herself feel happy.

She wasn't hungry. She moved the food around on her plate enough when anyone was watching, and then allowed each course to be removed along with everyone else's. The Ambassador's voice was overpowering any time he spoke, with other conversations pausing even when there was no interest in what he was actually saying.

"Yes," Lars replied to the ambassador without noticing the other conversations had temporarily stopped, his voice rising, "I'm aware that Maldonia is interested in renting out their consulate building in New Orleans at a very good rate. How can I make it clear that would not be an option at this-" he looked around and realized everyone was looking. "Excuse me."

Inga was thankful for the dessert set out in front of her. She still wasn't interested in eating, but she could focus her attention on it.

"Lars," she heard Henry speak through the silence, "what about Boston?"

"What about it?" Lars replied.

"They've got ice," Henry added hesitantly.

"So do we," Frederick laughed, "no offense, but you might have noticed that."

"I mean…" Henry took a breath, looking helpless.

Lars piped in, "Henry, are you talking about the ship building? They've got ships for transporting. I don't think Arendelle has enough of those."

"Oh, good point," Frederick hemmed, as several others around the table nodded and began discussing the point.

Hilde leaned over to Inga smiling. "If I didn't know better," she whispered quietly in her ear, "I'd think someone was trying to impress your father."

Inga did her best to ignore Hilde's implications, feeling unsteady even though she was sitting. This was dessert. She could make it through dessert. Everyone else was busy talking; she didn't need to.

* * *

As soon as the guests began standing and milling around the room, Inga did her best to quietly slip away. She wasn't tired, not exactly. As she walked toward the gallery, she heard a group talking right outside the gallery door. The Ambassador's voice was once again overpowering, as he spoke to the Emissary and several others. Without looking, she jumped behind the nearest curtain into an alcove before she could see who else was with them.

The alcove was just large enough for her skirt to miss bumping into the curtain when she was inside. She stared at the familiar red velvet curtains that she hid behind during so many childhood games of hide and seek. As the group moved along, and even the Ambassador's voice faded, she heard a soft chuckle behind her. "Hello again."

Inga just avoided making a sound as she swung around and saw Henry sitting at the window in the alcove with her. "What are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly.

"I was on the Ambassador's tour of the castle, and I stopped here to look out the window. I've never seen an aurora before."

"Oh, yes, they're very pretty," she acknowledged. "You've really never seen them?"

"We're too far south," he reminded her. "But nevermind that, I suppose I'm being rude. Would you like to sit down?" He stood up and gestured at the bench next to the window.

"I'm- Actually, yes, thank you," she answered, carefully sitting down.

"May I?" he asked, motioning to the spot next to her. She nodded.

"I'm sorry if I was rude," she blurted out.

"Rude?"

"This afternoon."

"No, no you weren't," he insisted. "I hope… I hope I didn't embarrass you."

"What?"

"Hilde, she was saying-"

"Wait… What?" Inga stammered, looking out the window.

"Just… she thought I, um… might not have been, um… entirely appropriate before dinner?"

"That was… fine." Inga gulped a bit, looking at the colors out the window.

"It was nice to meet them," he said.

"Who?" She looked back at him.

"Your parents," he replied. "They seem nice. I can see why my parents speak fondly of them."

"Oh…" she tried to think of something to say in response. "My father usually doesn't get stuck sitting next to foreign guests."

"I suppose I should feel special." he laughed.

"Or I should feel guilty," she sighed.

"What do you mean by that? I really didn't mind, and I hope I wasn't talking his ear off too much."

"I'm usually the one to sit next to him, mostly since he likes having me translate if someone tries to pull something on him, but I said some things to him I shouldn't have said the other night, and I don't think he's forgiven me."

"I didn't pick up on anything like that, but I'll take your word."

Inga sat for a moment trying to decide whether to change the subject.

"What did you talk about when you weren't suggesting we import ice?" she smirked.

Henry buried his face in his hands. "That's not what I- Why do I even bother? I'm not really supposed to be here, certainly not in any official capacity."

"What do you mean? I thought your parents were planning a grand tour for you two."

He looked up. "They were still planning it when they mentioned sending the emissary here, and I suggested we just get a head start. I… I really don't know what I was thinking."

"It's fine," she said, putting her hand on his. "You caught me at a bad time, I guess. It's... things... I've learned some things, and… it's been weird."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he murmured, putting his other hand on top of hers. She looked down, remembering the dancing in Corona, and the feel of his arm steadying her when they went out for some air. She was glad he wasn't asking for more details. That could wait. She found herself yawning, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

* * *

_Inga stood at the edge of the fjord, watching a man approach on horseback. It was the sneering redhead, the one she had seen in so many dreams, ready to abduct her again. This was a dream. She knew it._

_"I know who you are!" she shouted at him. "Go away!"_

_"I'll always be here," he mocked, "you can't make me go away!" _

_Suddenly, she felt someone come up from behind and grab her, handing her over to the man on horseback. In a panic, she looked to see that it was Prince Tarkan handing her over. She couldn't move or scream anymore as she was taken away._

_"Inga?" She heard a voice calling gently, then felt a touch to her shoulder. _

* * *

_Inga opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling. It wasn't the ceiling of her own room: even in the early morning light, that much was obvious. _

_"Inga?" She heard again. It was Henry's voice. She suddenly recognized the molding at the edge of the ceiling: she was in the Palace in Corona. She looked to her side. Henry was there in the bed next to her. "You were having that nightmare again, weren't you? Come here." He reached over to her._

_"What am I doing here?" she asked in a panic._

_"What do you mean? You live here, of course." _

* * *

"Inga?" She felt her shoulder being shaken. "Inga?" It was Henry's voice again.

"What?" She startled, catching herself, grabbing at Henry's arm. They were sitting on the seat in one of the window alcoves. She was sitting closer to him than she remembered.

"You fell asleep," he explained. "I'd like to keep watching the sky here with- um, but I should probably get back to the Ambassador's tour before they notice I'm gone."

"Wait, I fell asleep here?"

"Yes," he chuckled, "I guess I was kind of boring."

"Just… here? Nowhere else?"

"Um, yes?"

"And we were just talking, right?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I think I'd remember."

She paused, the image of him from her dream a moment before intruding into her thoughts. "Have you ever… have you ever had one of those dreams where you think you've woken up, but it turns out you're still in a dream?"

Henry smiled. "Definitely. Once, I had a dream where I woke up three times before I was really awake. Some of the dreams I woke up into seemed really normal, which was the funny part. What were you dreaming about?"

"Nothing in particular," she lied, feeling her jaw quiver slightly, "but I suppose I should get going now."

"Do you think you'll be okay?"

She nodded and thought for a minute as she stood up, holding his hand as he stayed seated on the bench. She almost felt disembodied, and wondered if this were yet another dream. Was this any more real than the bedroom in Corona, or the men on the fjord? Grabbing Henry's face, she kissed him. As their lips met, she heard a muffled yelp from Henry, and realized this wasn't a dream. Henry looked stunned. She quickly let go of him, wishing she could disappear entirely.

"Sorry," she mumbled, stepping backwards into the curtain.

"Wait-" he managed to say. "What was that?"

"I'm sorry, let's just forget that happened," she apologized, still wishing she could just disappear.

"I guess, okay," he said, looking down. "If that's what you want."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused by his response.

"I wasn't ready for that, I guess, but I… I don't really want to forget about it." He looked up at her.

"Oh…" She felt herself shaking. "Well, um, let me know when you're ready?" She was ready to run away and hide, taking a step outside the curtain. Henry stood up and followed, taking her hands and looking into her eyes.

"Henry?" Frederick called out. Inga slipped her hands away from Henry's. "There you are! Your sister noticed you were gone and sent me to look. Do you- Oh, Inga? I thought you went to bed."

"I was on my way," she replied, swallowing her feelings of panic. "I got distracted."

"Well," Frederick replied, looking confused, "Anton and Peder are meeting up with me in the library, should I tell them you're coming?"

"No, I really will be going now," she said, trying to turn her nervous energy into a convincing yawn. "Thank you, and good night."

"Good night, Inga," she heard Henry as she was nearly to the other end of the hall.


	31. A Whole New Situation

"_Mother!" Lars shouted, bounding through the front door._

"_Lars? What's the matter?"_

"_Nothing's the matter, it's great news! I've got a position!"_

"_So soon?" She smiled, giving him a hug. "And to think, you were going to be training for the Palace Guards just a few years ago. Tell me all about this position!"_

"_The new Ambassador to Arendelle has selected me to be his private secretary! I have you to thank for this one, I think."_

"_Oh… you'll be going to Arendelle? This is official?" She stepped back, her face drawn with worry._

"_Yes. Mother, is something wrong?"_

"_I'm just… thinking." _

"_About Father?"_

_She hesitated. "Yes."_

* * *

Lars knocked at the door to his mother's room after dinner. She had suggested meeting privately, otherwise he would have been happy to meet in a booth at Hudson's. Still, he wasn't sure what was so private.

She opened the door and smiled, as he stepped into the room, taking her hand tenderly.

"Mother, how was your evening?"

"Very nice, thank you. The General and Halima are very gracious hosts. And those girls are very fond of Elizabeth." She paused, closing the wardrobe and picking up the twine that had held together her clean laundry that she had just put away. "How was your dinner?"

"It… I think it went well. All of the official business seems to be settled, whether or not we're ready for the change."

She nodded. "Elizabeth and I have been discussing that. I know it's been a difficult decision for you, but both of us will go along with whatever you decide."

"I no longer have a choice, it seems," he sighed.

"Is that so?" she asked calmly but with concern, taking his hand.

"The ship that arrived from Corona today has a special emissary, as well as three candidates for Mr. Meyer to pick from to replace me."

"Ah, well, I suppose they know what they're doing."

"It does feel that way, and yet…"

"Yes?" she asked with a hint of nervousness, almost like she wanted to change the subject.

"Mr. Meyer, he seems to think that you've been getting particular attention from the royal families in both Corona and Arendelle. Looking back, it does seem like we spent considerably more time at the palace in Corona than… than most people in our… our station in life. And then, Elsa seemed to know you. That was the first thing she said to me, beyond the social niceties. She knew you."

His mother nodded slowly, her face worried, her breathing suddenly measured and forced.

"Why don't we sit down?" she suggested as she sat on one of the chairs by the window.

Lars sat in the chair next to her, thinking about how at home she would have had some tea ready if she wanted to sit and talk. He had told her she could ask the castle staff to bring her anything she needed, not that he cared about having tea.

"Lars," she said, taking a deep breath, "You have a lot of questions, and I want to answer them, but I need to try to start at the beginning. I've never really told you very much about my life in Arendelle, have I?"

"No, you haven't," he replied, watching as she wrung her hands nervously in her lap. He had never seen her fidget, and when she felt restless, she would always find some chore to do, but now she seemed nailed to her chair.

"There are things I wasn't allowed to tell you before," she continued, "Very important things. The Queen herself told me, a few weeks ago, that I should tell you when I feel the time is right. I'm not sure if now is the right time, but I don't know if it will ever be the right time to tell you something like this."

"Yes?" He was fairly sure he didn't want to know the truth now, but it was too late. He knew enough to realize he didn't actually know the truth; he had to know the rest.

"The first thing I need to say," she began, "is that I've heard some rumors about my late husband. He died of a heart attack shortly after the Thaw, just like I've always told you. Some people have doubted this, so I just wanted to say that right away."

"I never took any stock in those rumors, anyway," Lars assured her, putting his hand on hers. He started to relax a bit. Perhaps his brother was right, and there was nothing especially interesting, after all.

"Yes, well…" she sighed. "I showed you the house where we lived in Arendelle. As basic as it was, once my husband died, we couldn't afford it. We had very little savings, and I didn't want charity, but Karl was still a baby, and I had no other family left."

"So of course being pregnant with me at that time must have been difficult," Lars interjected, squeezing her hand.

"That's just it," she said, looking away, "I was never pregnant after Karl was born."

He let go of her hand but left his hand resting on the side of her chair, as if it would keep him from falling. If she wasn't pregnant with him, who was? He wasn't sure what he was expecting, and now it felt like anything could be true. "But… how?" his head was spinning. Was he hearing her correctly?

"I was not allowed to say anything to anyone until this fall, as I told you. I was hired to be your wet nurse. It meant leaving behind Arendelle, and living in Corona. It all had to be in secret, because it was Queen Elsa's own sister who was pregnant." She took a breath. "You were born in Corona, as I've always told you. Princess Rapunzel arranged everything, and brought you to me when you were a few hours old. I've raised you as my own ever since."

"You… were my wetnurse?"

"I was."

"And Queen Anna…"

"Yes."

He stared straight ahead, focusing on nothing, gripping the arms of his chair. All of the mysteries in his life suddenly started making sense, and the things he had taken for granted all his life were suddenly called into question. And his more recent concerns were also explained.

"That's why she won't look me in the eye anymore," he said after what felt like an eternity of silence. "And that's why she wants me as far away as she can manage. It's…" He thought of the miniatures of royal portraits he'd been shown back in Corona, so that he would recognize anyone he came across. The Southern Isles had exiled the youngest prince, so the portrait was outdated, only a few years older than he himself was now. He and his classmates had laughed about the uselessness of the miniatures, since, after all, it might as well be a painting of Lars himself dressed in uniform for the level of detail they could see.

"It's him, isn't it? The- my father? The Southern Isles…" his mind raced through everything he knew. "But of course, it has to be him. It all makes sense."

"They never told me anything about that," Margit Nilsen said with a nervous breath.

"You haven't said I'm wrong, though." He stood up and started to walk out of the room silently.

"Lars, I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Lars stopped and turned around. He knew he was being rash, and unfair to her, but he couldn't stay in this room. "You had no choice, I understand that. But please let me be alone for a while now."

* * *

_Lars approached the stable. He would take his mare, Amytis, and escape. He would ride away, he didn't care where. He arrived at the stable. He didn't hear anyone, and hoped he would be able to go in, get his horse, and get away quickly, unnoticed. _

"_YOU!" The voice boomed from a dark corner of the stables. He saw Kristoff charging toward him._

"_Please, leave me alone," Lars pleaded. "I'll be gone as quickly as I can!"_

"_You little bastard!" the older man shouted, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket, shoving him against the wall. He was strong, much stronger than Lars was, much stronger than anyone he had ever wrestled or gotten in any kind of fight with. _

_He was shaking._

"_Please, just let me go! I won't bother you!"_

"_How do I know you aren't just like that murderous father of yours?" _

_Lars felt himself shoved against the wall a second time._

"_I don't even know him. I've never met him! You've got to believe me!"_

_A hard smack went across his face. "You clearly take after him! You look just like him! I want to punch in that simpering face of yours."_

"_Please, please, just let me go. I'll go away, I'll never bother you again." He fell to the ground with a thud, and tried to cover himself or crawl away, but a swift kick to the stomach took away his ability to do anything for a few seconds. A punch to the head, and his ears were ringing. Another punch and he tasted blood in his mouth. Now he was hoping to black out, anything to be able to stop this agony._

"Lars!" Elizabeth was shaking him. "Lars, you've been thrashing around the bed! This isn't like you. What's going on?"

"Elizabeth… what- what did I say? Was I saying anything?" He couldn't tell her the truth. He didn't want to. Not yet, at least.

"Nothing I could really understand. What's the matter? You've barely slept since Monday night, you didn't leave this room all day yesterday, and you won't tell me anything. Your mother won't tell me anything, either."

"I'm sorry…" Lars sat up, holding his head. He could feel the spot on the inside of his cheek where he must have bitten down, and he could still taste a bit of blood, but everything was in place, nothing actually hurt. Somehow, this didn't make him feel better.

"You need to get out. You haven't gone out riding in a while. After breakfast, perhaps?"

"Will you get my horse ready for me? I'd really rather not go to the stables right now."

"I… I can do that for you, if you like." She looked at him with worried confusion.

Part of him wanted to tell her everything. But then what? Was he even the man she'd married? He didn't know, but he couldn't look in the mirror without a feeling of disgust.

* * *

Elizabeth quietly entered the stables and went to Lars's horse Amytis, shushing as she tacked her, and began to walk her out of the stable. She regretted not bringing her own horse when they returned from Corona with her mother and sisters. Inga had told Elizabeth that she could ride her horse, but Inga seemed to have her own problems now.

"What are you doing?" Kristoff demanded from the back of the stable.

"Oh, Your Highness! I'm sorry, Lars wanted to go riding, and asked me to get his mare ready for him. I hadn't realized anyone else was here. I apologize for the intrusion!"

"No, sorry, you're fine." He stepped forward, slouching slightly and rubbing his temple. As she met his eyes, she thought he looked almost sad. "He sent you to get his horse ready? Is he doing okay?"

"He hasn't been feeling very well, but he won't tell me anything about it. I told him some fresh air might do him some good, so he sent me down here because he wasn't feeling up to it himself. I wouldn't have suggested taking a ride if I thought he wasn't up to tacking his horse, but if this is what it takes to get him out of the room, I'll do it."

Kristoff nodded.

"Do you know anything?" Elizabeth asked, quickly continuing, "since he talked to his mother Monday night, he hasn't really… he hasn't been himself."

"I don't think there's anything I can tell you," Kristoff said.

"Oh," Elizabeth mumbled, walking the horse out to the courtyard.

"Wait," he called, following her out. "Are you planning to ride with him?"

"No, my horse isn't here, and, well, I don't have any clothes for riding."

"Where was he going to meet you?"

"Um, just outside the gate. Why?"

"Can you tell him he needs to come to the stable himself, make up some excuse for him to help you out, but please don't tell him that I'm here."

"But…" Elizabeth tentatively moved her hand with the reins toward Kristoff.

She took a deep breath and finished handing him the reins. She walked nervously toward the gate as Kristoff slowly led the horse back into the stable.

* * *

Kristoff stood inside the stable, stroking the mare's nose briefly before grabbing a carrot from a nearby sack to offer her. Sven snorted, and Kristoff glared back at him. "You can share."

Anna had mentioned that Margit Nilsen had come to speak to her the day before, to let her know that she had told Lars the truth. Elizabeth obviously hadn't been told anything, but he couldn't do anything about that. He had, however, befriended Lars his very first day, and he knew he had been avoiding him the last few weeks. He needed to fix that.

Elizabeth returned a few minutes later. He could hear her saying something indistinct, and Lars muttering in reply.

"I'm going to check in with your mother," she told Lars, and ran off. Kristoff was glad that he hadn't needed to ask her to give them time alone. He stepped out of the stable door. Lars saw him, and the color drained from his face. He tried to turn around, but Kristoff placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Lars," he said gently, "she told you, didn't she?"

He looked frightened. "She did."

"Let's go inside," Kristoff suggested, "unless you want to talk outside, but I really wouldn't suggest that."

Lars seemed to have stopped breathing, and his eyes were wide almost as if he were confronted with a wild animal.

Kristoff didn't want Lars on the defensive. "I'll be in here," he said, returning to the stable.

To his surprise, Lars followed him inside a moment later.

"I hope I didn't scare you," Kristoff apologized, "but there have been a… a lot of things that could have been handled better."

"I won't argue with that."

"How much did she tell you?"

"Enough. I think I can figure out the rest," Lars replied, guardedly keeping his eyes on Kristoff.

"It's a lot to find out all at once." Kristoff leaned on the inside wall, crossing his arms, watching Lars, and waiting for him to speak.

"A lot of things make sense now, at least," Lars muttered, briefly looking up at Kristoff. Then he looked the opposite direction, like he was talking to the horses. "What am I expected to do with this knowledge? Be overjoyed to learn that I have royal blood? Bask in the wonderful opportunities that come from being a royal bastard? At least before I thought it was my own talent that got me here. Now I'm doubting even that. I had a respectable life. I was happy. I didn't want…"

The young man sank down into the straw on the floor and sat against the wall. The horses began neighing. Kristoff checked outside, and closed the stable door to be sure they had some privacy. He took a few minutes to check on the reindeer, giving Lars some space.

Lars looked up, his eyes obviously wet even in the low light of the stable, but he took a breath and spoke with only a slight strain in his voice. "I know it's not you- at least, I'm almost certain that I know who he is, but maybe I'm wrong." He looked straight ahead, obviously thinking. "No, I know it's not you. Even if you hadn't married her right away, I'm sure they would have kept me here in town, or maybe at a farm a short distance away, and you'd probably have found some convenient excuse to take in an orphan boy a few years later."

Kristoff breathed deeply, and slowly sat down where he had been standing. He thought back to eighteen years before, when he had just gotten permission to ask Anna to marry him.

"_Anna told me," he told Elsa._

"_Told you?" she looked at him, then understood. "Good. It's… it's good that you know."_

"_I've known for a while now."_

"_It's… almost funny... but I suppose I can tell you this now. When she told me she was pregnant, my first suggestion was to marry you."_

"_What?" His mind had jumped to conclusions over Elsa's words. "But… we… I couldn't have been the father. You have to believe me. I couldn't be- there's no chance of anyone, not just her-" _

"_Please, Kristoff, stop."_

"_Sorry."_

"_Don't be. I just mean- I trust you. I think I can, anyway. She… she reminded me that once you were married, any child would be considered legitimate and legally yours. She didn't want to start off with a lie, even a legal fiction."_

"_I know," he replied with a solemn nod._

Kristoff usually tried not to think about what might have been, and whether that baby really needed to be sent so far away. He understood the need not to be public, or not to be officially acknowledged. Still, so much would have been different. He couldn't imagine everything else being the same with such a profound change so long ago.

A snort from one of the horses jerked Kristoff out of his reverie. He looked over and saw that Lars was quietly looking at him.

"I had read what happened," Lars continued, "back then- I read about it long before I came here. I mean, what they presented us was a sanitized version, which I suppose is what nearly everyone believes, with nothing suggesting the virtue of the princess had been seriously damaged- It's obvious, though. I was a political liability, and not just because of a young lady's reputation. My entire existence is an international scandal waiting to happen. I suppose it's less of a risk now, but I know very well, when I was born, Arendelle was very close to having a succession crisis. If my existence had been recognized, it would be very convenient for certain parties… Maybe it still would be."

Lars looked around. He had become calm and logical while contemplating the politics of his situation. But he suddenly put his hands to his face and leaned his head back on the wall. "I don't know. I did pass the exams. That was me. They had only planned on giving me a position in the castle guards, I know this. That's what my mother had told me- or- I don't even know what to call her now."

Kristoff looked up. "She raised you, didn't she?"

"Yes," Lars answered, swallowing hard. "That's real. And the funny part is, now that I think about it, she always had an odd way of talking about those things. The stories were always about 'my husband' and 'the day you were born' but never calling him my father, or talking about my birth. I suppose nobody really hears about their own birth? I don't know. But I always figured it was some quaint way of speaking, not being from Corona. My brother and I… she never treated us differently. Well, she did, but we were different. She didn't force us to be the same. But of course, she knew. I don't know if I'm even making sense, sorry."

"No, that makes sense," Kristoff assured him.

They sat in silence, with only the sounds of the animals surrounding them.

Kristoff spoke up. "I didn't know about it. I mean, not right away, not when it mattered. It was a year later, right before her twentieth birthday. And I would have married her right away, if she had wanted to… But you're right about the politics." He looked over at Lars hoping he understood his meaning.

Lars shivered thinking about the age. When he was born, she wasn't yet nineteen. Elizabeth was already nineteen. "I wouldn't blame you if you hate me."

"You haven't done anything wrong. I hope you don't think that I- that your promotion... It's…" Kristoff swallowed hard. "It's not about that."

"But it is. Maybe you don't hate me, but it's awkward."

"Well, I'm not saying it isn't for the best, you know. The position, I mean," Kristoff sighed. 'You'll do fine. People like you. You make friends easily."

"Do I? How can you be sure it's not just an act? How do you know I'm not just good at fooling people… like him?" Lars began to speak almost frantically.

Kristoff nodded slightly, understanding the meaning behind the question. "Do you think… Do you- Would you really be asking that if you were like him?"

"So you knew him?"

"No, not really. I saw him once. If I had known, I wouldn't have held back."

Lars looked down again. "You should hate me."

"You think I should hate you for something you had no control over? And, besides…" Kristoff glanced over, then looked straight ahead again. "I don't think you take after him. Not in any way that matters."

Lars looked away. "Does she hate me? She won't even look me in the eye. I came close to ruining her life, so I don't blame her if she does."

"No. She doesn't hate you. She-"

There was a knock on the stable door. "Your Highness?" Kai asked through the closed door.

Kristoff groaned as he stood up. He didn't open the door. "What is it, Kai?"

"Her Majesty wishes to know if you will be attending the dinner with the Belgian ambassador."

"Sorry, I think I'm going to skip that."

"Of course, Your Highness," Kai replied as he left.

"You should go on that ride," Kristoff said a moment later.

"I don't know if I feel up to it," Lars sighed.

"Your wife is right, though. You need the fresh air," Kristoff told him.

* * *

Lars couldn't remember exactly where he went on his ride, except that he went out of town right away. He followed the path up along the cliffs that he had ridden over the summer. He came to the fork in the road where Frederick had told him about the path leading to the trolls. Part of him wanted to follow that path to see what he found, but something in his gut told him that would be unwise.

After that, he rode along the path until he was well into the mountains. It appeared to be late afternoon, and he realized he needed to head back. He avoided getting lost, and avoided the wolves he had heard stories about. He felt like he had been in a trance. It was getting dark when he finally got back to the town. He dismounted and walked his horse back into the castle, not sure what he should expect, or who he would find.

It was quiet. Not eerily quiet, as he could still hear the activity of people both in town and around the castle, and see lights where servants were preparing the bedrooms and serving dinner. It was simply quiet. The stables were full of the sounds of resting animals, but no other people were nearby. He settled Amytis in, and went directly to his room. Elizabeth wasn't there, but a glance at the clock reminded him that it was dinner time. If she was eating with… yes, his mother. That would be good. Elizabeth liked her.

He wasn't hungry now. Perhaps he would be hungry in the morning. Things would work out, somehow. A fresh start might be good. They would have a fresh start.


	32. The One with the Wind and Sky

It was Tuesday morning. Despite the sun, Inga felt a sharp chill in the air as she opened her window. She shivered a bit as she washed and changed into a dress appropriate for the weather. After dressing, she took a deep breath, left her room, and walked to the study.

"Inga!" Frederick greeted her cheerfully. "Are you helping today?"

"Inga?" her mother asked in confusion.

"Yes, I thought you might like some extra help."

"Well, thank you," her mother replied, handing her a stack of letters.

Frederick gave her a sideways glance, which she pretended to ignore. They got through everything very quickly, with no conversation aside from the occasional discussion of who should get a particular letter.

"That's everything for now, I think," their mother told them when it wasn't quite lunch time, "Can you come to the meeting with Corona this afternoon? Your father will be at the trade guild meeting."

"Do we get a choice of meeting?" Frederick laughed. "The trade guilds usually serve better food."

The Queen glared at him. "Not today."

"I'll be there," Inga piped in.

Frederick nodded and got up, mumbling something about finding Anton and Peder for a ride, and letting the door slam after him.

Inga remained sitting across the desk from her mother. She didn't want to be rude and run out with barely a comment like her brother had just done. He could get away with that, but she couldn't, not today, at least. She needed to prove that she wasn't still upset.

"I didn't mean to pry yesterday," her mother told her. "I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me."

Talking with her mother was exactly what Inga wasn't ready to do. Perhaps later. She nodded and maintained eye contact, doing her best to stay calm and composed.

"You don't have to come to the meeting this afternoon, you know."

"I'd rather come, but thank you," Inga said as she stood up, doing her best to hide any hint of emotion. "I'll see you in two hours."

* * *

"You're up early," Hilde commented as she sat down by her brother, who was staring out the window of the breakfast room. His food was untouched.

"Am I? The sun rises so early here, you know."

"That's in the summer," she corrected, "Sunrise is a half hour later here than in Corona now. I checked the almanac before we left."

"Really?"

"Yes," she said, rolling her eyes, then looked around the room to confirm that they were alone. "Now, since you've dragged me along on this trip over a month earlier than planned, will you let me know if there's anything going on? My maid keeps asking me questions."

Henry flushed. "What? You haven't… have you been telling her? I mean, what have you been telling her exactly?"

"Relax, I just ask her enough questions to get an idea of the general gossip. I swear I haven't been the source of anything, why would I want to do that? Besides, she only asks me about you because your valet never tells her anything interesting. I have better things to do. But... Do you know what they're saying about you today?"

"Today? Were they saying things before?"

"Nothing any of us do is really private, you know that, don't you? Of course they were talking. To be fair, I've never heard any interesting gossip about you except for the morning after the coronation ball. They talk about me, too, though apparently the only interesting thing about me is my clothing, so I give them that. And they talk about her…" Henry looked up wide eyed.

"Fine, tell me."

"It seems, when you went missing for a little while after we first arrived, you met up with a girl in the marketplace. My maid told me she saw this herself."

"Oh," he mumbled, "I guess I forgot that there were people around."

Hilde raised her eyebrow. "So, she saw something? Because some staff here heard the same whispers in the marketplace, about the foreign prince flirting with the first girl he met. As usual, your valet has nothing interesting to tell about you."

"I was in the market yesterday, and I suppose it could be called flirting."

"That's an odd answer, especially given last night at dinner..."

"You already talked to me about that."

"And I would have talked to you more if I'd heard about what happened in the market!"

"Fine, you're going to tell me I'm exposing her to gossip, I get it."

"So Inga was in the market? You could have said so when I asked and saved me a lot of trouble."

"Oh, I thought that was what they were saying."

"No, actually, so now half of Arendelle thinks you're a terrible flirt. Nevermind that, are you going to tell me what's going on with you two?"

"I don't know."

"Is she not interested, then?"

"That would make things simple."

"You sure are cryptic this morning."

"If there's something to share, you'll be the first to know."

"You promise?"

"On second thought, no."

* * *

Inga arrived at the room for the meeting a few minutes early, and saw Frederick arriving as she got to the door.

"How was your ride?"

"Good. Did you have lunch? You hardly ate last night."

"I ate," she replied, leaving out that she had only grabbed a piece of toast with a bit of jam.

"Oh," Frederick interrupted before she needed to think of something else to say, "I ran into Elizabeth on my way here. She says Lars isn't feeling well, so I guess he won't be at the meeting this afternoon."

"That's too bad." Inga forced herself to stay calm. She remembered the encounter with Lars that weekend, and what she'd learned about him. Had Lars become too curious? "Did she say anything else?"

"No," Frederick replied, smirking a little, "but I guess if it was something in the food, you're safe."

Inga sighed, remembering that Margit Nilsen had seemed uneasy yesterday. Perhaps she would take her up on the offer of talking later. "Is anyone inside yet?" she asked Frederick to change the subject.

"Pretty much everyone else from Corona," he told her. "Do you want to head on in?"

"Let's go," she said, breathing to calm herself.

Everyone in the room stood when she entered. She caught Hilde's gaze first, then looked over to Henry, who looked back, blinking. Was he nervous? There was nothing they needed to say to each other this afternoon, which was good, because there was nothing she would want to say in front of other people.

Their mother arrived soon after, and the meeting began. Inga sat quietly, gazing at the books on the shelves immediately behind whoever was speaking at the moment. She kept count of the times her eyes accidentally met Henry's: six.

At one point, an official letter from Corona was passed around. She read it over, trying not to let herself be distracted by the differences between the King's handwriting and his grandson's. She wondered whether the King knew any details about why this shuffle of diplomatic personnel was happening, or was simply signing off on instructions from his daughter the Crown Princess.

At some point, Ambassador Meyer had mentioned that he would make a decision about which of the three men he would hire by the end of the week. No one was quite sure when Arendelle would have a location selected for a new consulate, and Inga felt almost ready to flip the table in spite of protocol when they realized that their questions were best discussed with Lars in person.

The business for the day was concluded. Everyone got up. Inga simply stood by her seat, unable to decide where to go. There were no more meetings for the day, and nothing that needed to be done.

"Inga?" Frederick asked, pulling her back to the present.

"What?"

"I asked if you wanted to get dinner with us. I was going to take them to Hudson's Hearth."

She looked around. Her mother had left, as had Ambassador Meyer. Kai was directing a young servant to clean up the room and get the furniture back to a better arrangement. Henry and Hilde were standing behind Frederick, looking at her expectantly.

"Oh, yes, of course," she replied, following behind as they left.

* * *

Wednesday morning wasn't quite as cold as Tuesday morning had been, but there was still a slight chill in the air. Dinner had been frustratingly uneventful. Inga couldn't help but notice that Henry had been nearly as silent as she was through most of it, and Frederick explained many details of Arendelle to Hilde.

But that was last night. Inga hadn't made any promises about helping anyone today. She was awake and dressed so that she could possibly go riding later, feeling somewhat restless. She picked up the book on her bed stand, and the letter from Henry fell out. There was no point in writing back right now, was there? Except, yes, there could be a point. Did he know where the garden was? Well, he could figure that out. Having written a quick note which she stuck in her pocket, she went to her dresser, opened the top drawer, moved aside a few things, and placed Henry's most recent letter on top of the other letters from him. She leafed through them idly, coming to the photograph at the bottom of the stack, picked it up, and looked at it. The formal portrait looked almost like a stranger, having all of his features, but none of the spark of seeing him in person. She still wasn't sure what had come over her the other night. She couldn't exactly say that she regretted her behavior, but at the same time, she wished she felt more in control of herself. As she looked at his picture, she wondered what Henry actually thought of the photo she'd sent him. His photo went back to the bottom of the stack of letters, and she carefully closed the drawer.

Inga quickly made her way down to the guest rooms, suddenly panicking when she realized she wasn't sure which one was his. She really had no excuse for being here if someone asked. Suddenly, a nearby door opened, and Inga stood to the side.

"Of course, Your Highness," she heard a lady's maid saying as she closed the door. "Oh, excuse me, Miss," the young woman gasped as she nearly bumped into Inga.

"Don't worry about it," Inga replied.

The maid nodded and went on her way. After a moment, Inga looked at the door the woman had come out of, and guessed that it was Hilde's room. She decided she'd take the chance that the door next to it was Henry's room, and slipped her note underneath, trying to head away quickly and quietly.

As she turned the corner, Inga stopped again as she heard a door opening, but the giggling and footsteps told her it was from the nursery. She turned around to see her sister Sofia running toward her.

"Where are you going?" Inga asked, trying to sound stern, barely hiding a laugh.

"Inga! Hi! We're going out to the garden, but I forgot my sweater. Do you want to come?"

Inga nodded and followed along.

Nanny was already in the garden with the younger children. Marie was fussing over the baby, and their little brother Karl was off finding things to climb on. Inga sat down next to Marie and the baby, and tried her best to simply enjoy the moment in the autumn sunlight.

* * *

"Come down, Karl!" Sofia shouted, repeating Nanny's admonishment from a moment earlier. Inga watched as her youngest brother found a way up the side of the wall, almost like a mountain goat. He giggled at every shout to come down, and climbed higher.

"I think that's enough now," Inga laughed as he started standing on the top of the wall. She climbed up to the top, realizing too late that she had no plan for getting back down. Still, she was glad she was up there with her baby brother, though he wasn't quite a baby anymore, was he? The other side of the wall went straight down to the rocks below along the fjord. She scooted over next to little Karl, and grabbed him as he walked over to her. He settled into her lap, and she decided spending a few minutes looking at the view wouldn't hurt. She could figure out the next step later.

Sofia had gone over to Marie and Baby Linne while Nanny ran off to find Kai. Marie was suggesting all sorts of games which weren't quite appropriate for such a young baby, and Sofia was making slightly less awful suggestions. Inga didn't want to turn around, since she'd have to start thinking about how high up they were, so she kept staring off in the distance, one arm tightly around her little brother, and the other gripping the edge of the wall behind her.

She heard some commotion behind her, and heard Anton and Peder shouting juvenile insults at each other. Peder shouted something especially crude, and there was a thud of bodies hitting each other, and Anton laughing. Letting out a sigh, Inga turned around as much as she felt she could safely do, spotting Anton standing near her sisters.

"Shouldn't you be with your tutors?" she shouted. "If you have so much energy, come help us down here."

"Sorry, Inga," Anton shouted back, "I'm too busy laughing at Peder."

"Laugh at him another time, help me out here!"

"Oh, fine. Peder, get up off the ground and make sure you didn't actually hurt that fellow from Corona."

Inga swallowed nervously, turning back around to out over the fjord. She was so focused on her siblings that she had forgotten about her note. She hadn't given an exact time.

"Okay, Inga," Anton called from down below, "I'll climb up, take Karl, and then you climb down and I'll hand him to you."

"Sure, why not?" she laughed nervously. She wondered if leaving her room this morning had been a good idea.

She glanced quickly down behind her and saw Anton's red hair. He quickly got to the top and sat beside her, facing back toward the castle. Karl giggled as he saw his brother, and Inga handed him over. She exhaled in relief, and started her way back down to the ground, thankful that she had dressed for riding, at least, so no one below would get a show.

As her feet touched the ground, she let go over the stones and tried to brush the dirt off, shaking the tunic, glad that it wasn't a light color. She still needed to help with Karl, but now she wished Frederick were here, since he was the only one of them really tall enough for this task. Where was he this morning? Probably talking to the Admiral, if he wasn't with the twins.

"Anton, please be safe, at least with Karl!" she called back up. Their little brother thought it was delightful being dangled down from the top of the wall. Inga caught his feet, and as Anton let go the little boy grabbed her around the neck, causing her to stumble.

She gave Karl a kiss on the cheek and set him down. Anton walked along the top of the wall until he could jump to the tree.

"You're just giving him more ideas, you know!" Inga shouted.

"Oh, hello, Kai!" Peder shouted behind her. Inga turned around to see Nanny picking up the baby and scolding the sisters for playing whatever game they had been playing. She walked over to Nanny and took the baby off her hands so that she could chase after Karl before he got into more trouble.

As she held baby Linne, she realized that she hadn't seen the baby nurse all morning, and was wondering when she would get back, since the smell was rather bad. Nanny was coming back with Karl, her hand gripping his wrist very firmly.

"Your Highness," she heard Kai's voice behind her, "do you need any help?"

"Yes, thank you, Kai, if you could," she answered before turning around, "where is-"

Kai was standing a few feet behind her, but facing away, and had been speaking to Henry, who was sitting on the ground a short distance away. He looked over and smiled.

"Thank you, I'm fine," Henry replied to Kai as he got up.

Kai nodded, and looked to Inga. "Your Highness?"

"Thank you, I'm fine," she responded without thinking, her eyes locked on Henry.

Kai nodded and left.

"Were you here this whole time?" she asked.

"Sorry," he began, "I got your note, and I came out to find you, and then, well, I didn't say anything because you were up on the wall and I was afraid you might be startled…"

"So you were the one my brother ran into?" she laughed.

"Um, yes," he mumbled, looking at his feet.

They stood silently, still several feet apart.

The baby squirmed, and Inga remembered she had meant to ask Kai about the location of the nurse. "I… I need to go," she mumbled.

Henry frowned. "I'll get out of your way."

"Oh, no!" Inga replied, flustered again. "Please don't go. I didn't mean it like that. It's just… the baby, um… she doesn't smell very good right now, and I was going to go ask Nanny to take over."

As if on cue, the baby nurse came over, apologizing for having slept so long that morning. Inga told her not to worry, and thanked her.

"So, um, you sent me a note?" he stammered.

"Of course," she said. She looked around. When she wrote the note, she had hoped the garden might be empty. "It's getting a bit crowded here."

"I suppose it is, but-"

She grabbed his hand and led him to the door in the wall that led down to the fjord. The wind was blowing in from the north, and she saw Henry shiver a bit as he walked down to the rocks with her. It hadn't rained recently, so the rocks were dry. She let go of his hand and sat down on the largest rock. Henry stood where she left him looking confused.

"Are you going to come over here? I won't bite."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Well, do you want to know how I send letters or don't you?"

"Oh!" he laughed, coming over. "I really had absolutely no idea why you brought me here."

She felt very conscious of how small the rock actually was as he sat down. Her hands were clenched in her lap. The air was chilly down here by the fjord, and he was warm. It wasn't so bad.

"So…" he hemmed after he had been there a moment.

Inga swallowed. "Gale?"

Henry grabbed her hand as the wind whipped around them. He looked at her with his mouth slightly open, like he wanted to ask a question.

"No, I don't have any letters," Inga declared. A second gust swept more directly around Henry, who tightened his grip on her hand. "Yes, that's him, you already know it is… so can you get his letters to me?" Henry was staring at her now, and she tried to ignore it, but a leaf hit her in the face. "No, I didn't exactly tell my aunt. If she tells you to stop… Fine, thank you."

The air was suddenly calm again.

Inga let out a long breath and looked at Henry again. "There, it's all settled."

"What's settled?" He was staring wide eyed.

"Your letters won't take two weeks to get to me any more."

"How?"

"That was the wind spirit," Inga explained, "You just ask, like I did, except you should probably be more respectful."

"I…" he stammered. "I suppose this explains a lot."

"Probably best if you don't tell anyone, though."

He nodded, looking out. She felt his grip on her hand loosen a bit, but he didn't let go.

"Sorry I didn't warn you," she said, running her thumb along the side of his hand, "but it's not like it would have made that much sense."

"You're not much for giving warnings, are you?" he smiled.

"Oh, right." She could feel the blood rushing to her face. She looked away, then quickly looked back again. He was still looking at her.

"I'm pretty sure we're both awake this time," he laughed.

"I…yes? Of course..." Of course what? She looked into his eyes.

Henry's free hand reached over to her cheek and she turned toward him, interlacing her fingers with his other hand. As their lips met, she felt his hands move around her waist, and moved her hands under his coat. She hadn't realized her fingers were starting to feel cold until then. She wasn't sure how much time had passed when they stopped, both breathing heavily, noses touching.

"So…" he breathed.

Inga rested her head on his shoulder, her hands still under his jacket. She wasn't sure what to say. This was comfortable, and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to move, though they would eventually have to. "I'm hungry," she muttered, wondering why she was saying this before she even finished speaking.

"Um…" he sat up a little, smirking. "Actually, I am, too. I didn't really eat breakfast this morning."

* * *

Frederick had spent the entire morning down at the harbor talking with the Admiral. The Admiral was preparing to sail to Bergen that afternoon, leaving Frederick on his own for lunch. He wasn't sure where anyone was, so he went to the castle kitchen. Coming in from the outside, he forgot that he now needed to duck on the last step down, and hit his head on the beam overhead, letting out a scream.

As he stood rubbing his head, he heard others in the kitchen, so he carefully ducked down and walked in.

"Hi, Frederick," Inga laughed nervously, quickly finishing tying off her hair in a loose braid. "Did you hit your head again?"

"What makes you think I did?" he chuckled. As he looked around for what he wanted to eat, he noticed Henry standing at the other end of the table. "Henry? Good, I told you you should feel free to come down here if you're hungry, I'm glad to see you did."

"Um, yes, thanks," Henry mumbled, walking back toward Inga to pick up the half eaten sandwich sitting next to her.

"Were you talking to the Admiral this morning?" Inga asked.

"Yes," Frederick answered while he reached for the food he wanted, "and he's heading to Bergen this afternoon."

He stood eating, watching the other two finishing their sandwiches. Henry seemed a little too focused on his sandwich, and Inga wasn't usually the type to fiddle with her hair in public. He wasn't sure why they were acting oddly. His sister might think she was hiding something, but she wasn't.

He heard something coming from the hallway inside, and looked toward the door behind his sister and Henry. It creaked open, startling the two, and Frederick saw their mother come in.

"Mother!" he called. "Are you joining us for lunch?"

Their mother stood for a moment looking somewhat perplexed at the group in front of her. "Thank you, Frederick, I think I will. Could you get something for me?" Frederick quickly put something together for her.

"Hello," Inga greeted, trying to sound less awkward than she had clearly been the last several minutes. As their mother walked to the opposite side of the table from her. Frederick set down a plate with a sandwich. "How was your morning?"

"Oh, fine. " their mother replied with a smile, "I met with the council. Nothing actually got settled with anything they were talking about."

"Do they ever settle anything?" Frederick groaned.

"Certainly not today, and one duke was trying to impress me by quoting a book he'd obviously never read. Not that I've had time to read it, but Inga would have been helpful."

"I think I know who you're talking about," Inga sighed with exasperation, turning to Henry. "Ever since Karl was born he's acted like we named him in honor of that man and thinks we'll be impressed if he drops his name. I'd like to go back and change my brother's name if I could just to avoid it. I've asked that duke enough questions, I know for sure he's never read anything beyond the local newspaper, let alone anything on economics."

"Have you read Mill?" Henry asked, looking at Inga.

Their mother startled slightly, not having paid full attention to who was sitting at the table.

"I meant to, actually, earlier this summer. I've… I should find my copy," she smiled a little. "Have you read Ricardo?"

"I liked Ricardo more," Henry declared, looking like he was seeking Inga's approval.

Frederick wasn't sure if he should leave the conversation wherever it was going, or if he should begin some other topic with his mother, but Kai entered at that moment.

"Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Kai?"

"His Highness has told me he will not be attending the dinner with the Belgian Ambassador. Is there anyone else you would like to attend?"

"Oh," their mother sighed. "Inga, Frederick?"

"Um, sure," Inga replied. Frederick thought she looked a little uncertain about their mother's invitation.

"I can be there," Frederick said immediately.

She smiled, "Kai, we'll be there at six."

After the steward left, she finished the sandwich Frederick had made her as they sat silently. "Thank you," she said as she stood up, "I should go find your father now. I'll see you this evening."

"I should get going," Henry said, "I promised Hilde we'd go on a ride this afternoon."

"We have several hours, would you like company?" Frederick asked.

"If it's not an imposition," Henry replied.

"None at all," Frederick laughed, "and besides, it looks like Inga is already dressed for riding."

* * *

It was late afternoon when they got back, with a little over an hour to get ready for dinner. Inga bathed and dressed, trying to get her hair arranged as best she could. There was still half an hour until dinner, but she had nothing to keep her in her room.

Walking down the hallway, she saw Elizabeth looking at the family portrait painted when Inga was nine.

"Elizabeth?" she called out.

"Oh, Inga, hello," Elizabeth responded. "You look well."

"Thanks, I kind of have to, dinner with some Belgians tonight. How are you?"

"I don't want to take up your time if you're in a hurry," Elizabeth responded apologetically.

Inga frowned, realizing she had made it sound like she was brushing her off. "I'm not in a hurry at all. What's wrong?"

"I feel like I should ask you that question. You seem fine this evening, and I don't want to pry, but, I know there was something upsetting you the other night, after the ball."

"It's… it's complicated," Inga sighed. "There are a lot of things we don't want to know about the people we love."

"I don't know if that's really true," Elizabeth protested, "though… I think Lars isn't telling me something, and I wish he would tell me. He was talking with his mother after dinner Monday night, and he's seemed upset ever since. He was talking to your father this morning, and he went out for a ride, but he's not back yet."

"Oh," was all Inga managed to say. Lars knew the truth now. She wondered why they hadn't met him on their ride, but perhaps they went a different way. She hoped he hadn't gone too far.

"I… I should probably get going. Mrs. Nilsen told me to meet her for dinner soon."

* * *

It was Thursday. Walking along the corridor, she heard Ambassador Meyer's voice coming through his door. Her childhood instincts to listen in on foreign visitors got the best of her, and she slowed down for a moment on hearing him mention the royal orders from Corona.

"You'll train him, of course."

She heard a muffled "yes, Sir" from Lars, and hurried on her way, not actually interested in the conversation, but glad to know that Lars was well enough today. She continued on her way to the study, hoping to find her mother.

Entering the study without knocking, she saw her mother was alone.

"Good morning," Inga said, walking in.

"Good morning," her mother replied, watching her closely.

"How are you today?" Inga asked coolly, expecting some small talk about the dinner the night before.

"I'm fine," her mother replied, pausing and looking down at the papers in front of her. "Do you know that the ship from Corona is leaving tomorrow?"

"No," Inga said, her throat tightening a little.

"They're leaving one of the candidates here for training, I don't remember which. I think they're going to England next. Their emissary told me all of this earlier this morning."

"That's good to know," Inga replied, shifting uneasily, finding it suddenly hard to focus.

"Here," her mother quickly changed the subject, handing her a large stack of letters. "Why don't you start on these?"

* * *

Inga walked across the courtyard. She had the entire afternoon to herself, but couldn't decide what she wanted to do. As she passed by the stables, she saw her father stepping out, wiping his hands. She stopped, he saw her and walked over.

"Hello," she mumbled.

"How are you?" he asked, stopping a few feet away.

"I'm fine," she answered, hesitating a little. "I'm sorry, by the way, for everything I said to you."

She looked him directly in the eye, and it felt painful.

"You already apologized," he reminded her, "but thank you."

Inga swallowed hard and took a strong breath. "How are you?"

"Fine," he answered, "I won't hold you up if you're meeting people in town."

"I'm not really sure what I'm doing right now," she said with a nervous laugh, trying her best not to avoid crying in this public place. Her father stepped forward hesitantly. Inga stepped forward, and leaned in as he hugged her tightly.

"You'll be fine," he told her.

"Maybe," she replied as she stepped back, "but probably."

"Good," he smiled, "now, go have lunch."

* * *

Inga turned the corner to her room and saw Henry standing there.

"Hi," he smiled.

"Hi," she replied, biting her lip a bit. "I heard you're leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes." He looked at his feet, one hand fumbling in his coat pocket. "I'll write to you, I promise."

"I know," she beamed.

He pulled his hand out of his coat pocket, holding onto something small. "I wanted to give you this."

"I still have the photo you gave me before," she blurted out.

"No, this is… um, here." He pushed the envelope into her hand.

She opened it up and saw a small pencil drawing that looked almost exactly like the photograph she'd sent him, but it was only of her. She blinked, staring at it. Her nose wasn't quite right, but she liked his version better than the real thing. It was beautiful, and he'd made it for her. She couldn't think of what to say.

"You don't have to keep it if you don't like it," he added quickly.

"Why? No… I mean, I do like it, but, what is it? I mean, I know what it is, but-"

"I drew it on the way here," he said. "Or, well, I started drawing it. I won't show you the ones that didn't work. I hope it's not… I don't know-"

"I love it," she interrupted. "Thank you." Inga couldn't help but hug him. She could hear him gasp a little from the force she hit him with, but soon he held her close, as well. As they pulled away, she saw him smile a little less shyly, and there was a definite gleam in his eye.

* * *

Inga sat at the harbor early Friday morning, watching the ship from Corona sail away toward the open sea, heading for England next. They had been up before dawn loading the ship, and Inga had barely managed to get up when it was first light out, so her goodbyes with Henry had to be awkwardly public. Now, she hugged her legs and sighed, listening to the bustle of the morning business picking up behind her.

"Inga?" She heard Elizabeth call out behind her.

"Oh, hello," Inga smiled, stretching her legs to hang over the ledge where she was sitting. "What are you up to this morning?"

Elizabeth looked up. "Lars was up early to meet with the Ambassador and to train his replacement. I saw the ship being loaded, and I thought I might come take a look. How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said, "would you like to join me?"

"I don't think I can get up there," Elizabeth admitted.

"That's not a problem," Inga said, lowering herself down to the quay. "Were you going anywhere?"

"Not in particular. So, you've been well?"

"I… I think so," Inga replied honestly. "How is everything with…" she couldn't manage to finish her question, but looked meaningfully at Elizabeth.

"Better, I think. He had fallen asleep by the time I was done with dinner the other night, and since then he's been up early and working. I suppose he'll tell me what was going on when he's ready."

Inga could only nod in agreement as they walked along.

"They were talking about trying to get over there before winter," Elizabeth said after a moment. "If we sail to England next month, we could take a steamship over."

"So soon? You wouldn't even be here for Christmas, you know."

"I know, but Lars has decided it's imperative to have the post filled now."

Inga frowned, but it wasn't her place to interfere. "I'm sorry you'll be missing it."

"I am too," Elizabeth said, touching Inga's arm. "You have to promise to write. I'll write you, if you don't mind, of course."

"Yes, please," Inga said. "And, please promise you won't stop writing me, even if it takes longer to reply sometimes. It's always disappointing when someone stops writing."

"Of course," Elizabeth exclaimed. "But for now, it's a beautiful day. Let's enjoy it."


	33. Tea Time

It was grey and overcast, and there was a distinct chill in the air this morning. It had been a few days since the ship had left with Corona's emissary and the prince and princess, and Lars was silently counting down the days until the inevitable as he walked down the hallway to the Ambassador's room.

"Good morning, Mr. Meyer," Lars greeted the Ambassador. The other young man from Corona, the one Lars was training to replace himself, had not arrived yet, even though it was the first full work day since the morning the ship had left him alone in Arendelle.

"Here," the Ambassador said dryly, handing him something, "it's an invitation to tea with the Queen."

"Sir?" Lars took the card from the Ambassador, reading through it. "This is only for me?"

"Yes," the Ambassador replied gruffly. "I assume it will be a briefing for your new position."

"Of course, Sir," Lars replied, swallowing hard, and hoping the Ambassador thought it was nervousness about his promotion. Lars could only think of one reason that the Queen would ask him, and only him to tea. Kristoff had obviously told her about their talk. Lars had absolutely no idea what he might actually say to her, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what she might have to say to him.

Meyer had already turned to his papers. "We have a few hours until you need to be ready for that, so let's get to work here. I hope this new young man doesn't usually sleep in like this."

* * *

Inga looked out the window of the study, somehow hoping to see something besides grey sky and dark mountains. Frederick was busy sorting through the letters, and their mother was signing off on some official documents. She felt a kick from her brother, and noticed that he had just passed along a letter from Count Esterhazy, written in Latin, as usual.

"This is just announcing their annual harvest totals, you know, you didn't need to kick me," she whispered.

"No, I didn't know that, which is why I passed it to you," he grumbled, "it could have been some wedding invitation or something, I don't know!"

"Why would a wedding invitation list bushels of wheat and barrels of wine?"

"Because… well, the wine would make sense for a wedding!" Frederick's voice rose in frustration.

Their mother looked up suddenly. "Is there something I should know about?"

"I think Frederick should join Peder and Anton with the Latin tutor again," Inga smirked as her brother glared.

"Anything else?" their mother asked, her eyes darting suspiciously between the two.

"No," Inga said quickly.

"Well," her mother paused, then looked over at Frederick seriously, "it would probably be good for you to spend some time with the tutors this winter if you're going to go on that trip with Sorensen in the spring."

Inga could see Frederick tense up on hearing it described as a trip, but was happy that he held back from correcting the detail. She occupied herself with writing a quick reply to Count Esterhazy, detailing the many varieties of squash they were now growing in Arendelle. She tried to tune out her mother worrying out loud about Frederick's safety if he was going to take the naval training seriously.

"It's not dangerous!" Inga heard her brother exclaim.

"I just..." her mother stopped herself, biting her lip. Inga quietly walked over to pick up a Latin dictionary, realizing she had no idea what the word for squash was, but mostly glad to leave her mother and brother alone for a moment.

"I promise I won't do anything stupid," Frederick huffed. "Besides, I'm not the one who got thrown from my horse, but I'm the one you worry about being safe."

"Who got thrown from a horse?"

Inga turned around to see her brother looking at her, and her mother looking up blankly. Without thinking, she tried to excuse her lack of communication. "I thought you knew. I just assumed when Aunt Elsa wrote you-"

"Who was supposed to write? What happened?"

Inga stomped back to the table. "I was fine. I fell into the water, I had to change my clothes, that's all! Frederick, why did you have to bring this up now?"

"I thought she knew, too," he mumbled.

"Can you just tell me what this is all about? Is it about your trip to Corona?" Their mother sat looking obviously frustrated with them, stopping short of banging the table.

"What's there to tell? The first day we were in Corona, they only had sidesaddles at Elizabeth's house, my horse got startled, and I fell into the water." Inga was feeling rather flushed.

"That's not the way I heard it," Frederick laughed. "Wasn't there something about a Viking shield maiden rising from the water?"

"So, you went riding in Corona?" her mother asked.

"Yes, of course," Inga replied.

"And you were riding with Elizabeth?"

"Yes, but she had gone ahead, and I was trying to catch up. It was foolish, I know, and I've learned my lesson. Don't worry about it. Frederick really can take care of himself, I think."

"I have the feeling I'm still missing something here," she sighed, "but let's take a break for lunch. I have a meeting to prepare for now. You two can have the afternoon off, and I'll see you at dinner," she said, standing up to go.

"The weather is terrible, I'd rather just help you," Frederick pleaded, looking out as a few raindrops hit the window.

"No, it's private business," their mother replied quickly.

"Well, eventually at least one of us will have to know everything, right?" Frederick insisted.

She saw her mother briefly glance her way. "Frederick, let's find a game to play in the library," Inga suggested. "We'll worry about state secrets another day."

As they left to walk down the hall to the library, Frederick rolled his eyes at her. The library was empty, and he walked straight to the chess board and started setting it up.

"Do I get a say in the game?" she demanded.

"No," he smirked, "but you got a say in how much you told Mother just now."

"Hardly," Inga sighed, sitting down at the chessboard opposite her brother, "she just got bored of probing."

"Why are you acting like you have something to hide?" He made his opening move.

"I'm not. I just don't feel like it's anyone's business right now." Inga didn't particularly like chess, but made her move.

"Nobody will mind," Frederick said, pausing to think after he made the next move. "Although, the council might decide on the succession bill faster."

"What are you talking about?" Inga was glad they were still at the start of the game, because she was too flustered for strategy.

"They won't want whoever is in the line of succession to be in direct line for somewhere else. Not if they can help it." Inga watched as he took her pawn.

"It doesn't matter, I'm too young still," she replied, trying a move she had read in a book once.

"Fine, if you're too young, and you say it's your own business, then there's nothing to worry about," he said, looking at the board. "What on earth is that move?"

* * *

By lunchtime a cold steady rain was coming down. Lars wasn't feeling very hungry, but he knew he wouldn't want to eat during the tea, even if there was food available, and dinner wouldn't be until evening. He forced himself to have a few slices of bread with butter, avoiding anything that might upset his stomach.

His replacement had managed to show up an hour late. The young man apologized, explaining that he generally slept in when the sky was overcast, especially if it was raining. Lars had never noticed the veins on the Ambassador's forehead before, but they were quite prominent as he explained to the young man that he would be expected to find a way to show up on time regardless of the weather, and if he needed to hire a servant to knock on his door every morning, it would come out of his own salary. Otherwise he would write to the Emissary to return straight to Arendelle with the other candidates.

Any other day, Lars would have taken the young man out for lunch and gently explained over some beer that the Ambassador had a point, and he should simply get used to it. But today was not that day.

He stepped into his room, and saw Elizabeth seated at the window with his mother. He was forcing himself to keep thinking of her that way, though that made his upcoming tea all the more awkward to think about.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said, slightly startled, "I would have had something sent up for you, but I thought you would be going out for lunch."

"Don't worry about it," he said, coming over to give her a kiss. He gently touched his mother's hand before sitting down on the bed. "It seems I'm expected for tea with the Queen this afternoon."

"Oh! Should I change?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, it's only me she wants to see today," he said, making eye contact with his mother, who subtly nodded.

"I left my knitting in my room," Margit Nilsen said as she finished her lunch. "Elizabeth, dear, I'll leave you to help Lars get ready."

As his mother left the room, Elizabeth got up and sat next to him on the bed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "When is this tea?"

"In an hour," he sighed.

"You'll be fine," she assured him, "they've already selected you, and if you're thinking about turning it down, I need to know first."

"No, I won't turn it down," he said flatly.

She rubbed his back. "So, I suppose you'll want to change clothes. Your nicest suit has Corona insignia on it. Will that be a problem?"

"That might be too formal, anyway," he said glancing over to the wardrobe, "but I'll let you decide."

"Let's see," she hummed as she walked across the room and leafed through the suits hanging there. "Tell me what you know. That will help."

"What?" Lars felt a sudden rush of panic at his wife's request.

"What kind of meeting will it be?" she clarified, not turning around.

"Just tea," he replied, forcing his voice to be calm as he took off his coat.

She picked out a suit and brought it over, laying it on the chair next to the bed and then sitting back down next to him. "It's still bothering you... Whatever it was your mother told you last week, I mean."

"I… did she tell you?" He knew he should tell her himself, but perhaps it would be better if she found out some other way. He wasn't sure he could say the words yet.

"No, she hasn't told me anything, and I haven't really asked. Was it something about your father? I know I've heard some rumors."

"Yes… I mean… no. No, the rumors aren't anything," he stammered.

"Well, that's good to know," she smiled, helping him with his necktie while he finished unbuttoning his vest. "Those rumors sounded rather crazy. Don't worry about it right now. You can tell me when you feel up to it. I don't want to make you feel more stressed before this meeting."

"I'm going to be stressed about this no matter what," Lars sighed, unbuttoning his shirt as Elizabeth got down to help with his shoes. "I really don't know what to expect."

"You'll have to tell me all about it tonight," Elizabeth insisted, setting his shoes out of the way. "In the meantime, you'll do fine, I know it."

* * *

Anna sat at the end of the table, breathing slowly and deliberately as the rain beat on the windows. She wasn't sure she wanted to do this, but Kristoff had insisted it would be a good idea. Kai had set out the tea and some food a moment before, so there would be no interruptions.

She heard Kai's familiar knock. "Your Majesty?" he asked, opening the door a crack.

"Please come in," she answered, sitting up straight, pressing her fingers to the table as she caught herself fidgeting.

"Mr. Lars Nilsen, Your Majesty," Kai announced as the young man stepped in, looking straight ahead, but not quite meeting her eyes.

"Your Majesty," he bowed.

"Thank you, Kai, that will be all," she nodded, and the steward quietly shut the door as he left.

"Please, sit down," she offered, gesturing at the seat opposite hers. She remained calm on the surface, but it was going to take all she had to maintain this image of poise. The occasional fidgeting was bad enough, but the memories from twenty-one years ago, and the panic and shame she felt, were pressing on her mind. She had to remember that everything had worked out, probably for the best. Now, she knew who he was, and he knew who she was. She studied him closely as he walked over, looking at the obvious resemblances.

"Yes, Your M-"

"No," she interrupted. She took a breath. The whole meeting would be pointless if they were going to be using formal titles and address. This wasn't a meeting between the Queen of Arendelle and her new functionary. "Sorry… I know it's a habit, but let's at least drop the ceremony right now."

He nodded, sitting down. She poured herself some tea and took a sip, not sure whether she would need to hold up the entire conversation. He looked at his tea cup.

"Please have some tea," she insisted. He poured the tea, adding a cube of sugar.

The rain continued to beat against the windows for a long time while neither of them spoke. Anna took another sip of the tea. Lars did likewise, and briefly glanced up as if awaiting more instructions. She sighed, trying not to sound as frustrated as she felt. She had hoped that he would have more to say, or at least something to say, so that she could simply listen and answer any questions he might have.

"You don't have to wait for me to say something, you know," she told him, closing her eyes for a moment. "You… if you have any questions, please just ask."

He set down his cup and stared at it. She began to think this meeting had been a mistake.

"I'm sorry," he said a moment later, looking up. Maybe she was putting too much pressure on him. Why should he have anything to say if she couldn't think of something to say?

"You don't need to say anything if you don't want to," she assured him.

"No, I mean, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"For… for everything, for me."

She stopped. "What? Why?"

"No, that came out wrong. I mean... when I was born, and all that entailed."

"Oh." She wasn't sure why, but she hadn't been expecting that to come up. "It was a while ago now," was all she could think to say.

"I only found out last week."

"I know," she told him.

* * *

Frederick sat at the dinner table. It was already dark outside, and the rain continued. He was the only one who had shown up so far, and dinner was supposed to have started five minutes before. He had made some conversation with the footman, who offered to bring him an appetizer, but he declined, wanting to wait for the rest of his family.

His father came in, stopping as he stepped in the door, clearly expecting to see more people present. "Hello, Frederick."

"Hi, Father," he replied. "We're the only ones here."

"I can see that," Kristoff laughed.

"I'm starting to think everyone is avoiding me," Frederick said, "except you're here, so I guess not."

"I can't speak for your sister," Kristoff sighed, "but I'm not trying to avoid you, and I know your mother isn't. You don't think that I'm trying to avoid you, do you?"

"I don't know," Frederick sighed, "one minute you're fretting about what to do with me, but then you don't want me doing the naval training. I know Mother said I'm too young, but most people start younger than me. I'm going to be fifteen. That's not very young, not for them. She was going on and on about my safety this morning."

"Your mother is worried about you, and I don't think you're going to change that, but she'll get used to the idea," Kristoff paused. "But when were we talking about what to do with you? Do you mean the Succession Bill? That's obviously going nowhere, so I wouldn't worry about that."

"I guess I wasn't supposed to hear, but it was the time I brought you the letter about the American ambassador," Frederick admitted, "your door wasn't closed all the way when I got there, and I listened in, sorry."

"Oh," Kristoff groaned, pressing his forehead. "You're right, you weren't supposed to hear that, but it wasn't about you."

"What was it about then?"

"Never mind that," his father quickly interjected, "but… you're doing well. I should probably remember to tell you that. Don't feel like you have to prove something."

"I'm not trying to prove anything," Frederick insisted.

Inga showed up then, with some noise in the hallway indicated the twins were coming soon.

"Did Mother's meeting go late?"

"No, but it was… tiring," Kristoff replied. "She said to start dinner without her."

"Of course," Inga said in a tone that made Frederick wonder if he was missing something. "Shall we?"

0o0o0

The rain had cleared by morning. It wasn't even particularly cold, or perhaps Inga had finally accepted it was Fall.

"Good morning, Mother," Inga said, walking into the study.

"Good morning, Inga," Anna smiled up at her before looking back down at what she was reading.

Inga sat down and looked around. "Where's Frederick?"

"He's with his tutors," her mother replied, not looking up from the letter in front of her.

"What? I was joking yesterday. Mostly."

"He didn't say anything about that this morning."

"Oh, um, good, then, I guess."

Her mother passed her a stack of letters and continued reading the letter she was examining. Inga got to work, feeling a twinge of guilt about her words to her brother the day before. Still, it was his decision to buckle down and study. Part of her wished she could feel that amount of motivation her brother was starting to show right now.

After a few minutes of silence while both worked, her mother spoke again.

"So, Frederick seemed to think whatever happened to you in Corona was rather funny…"

"He would."

"And you?"

"I guess it was," Inga snorted, catching herself smile a little.

Her mother sighed and went back to signing some documents.

Inga looked out the window, letting her mind wander to planning the next letter she would write to Henry. "I wish things didn't have to be so very public," she heard herself say out loud.

Her mother looked at her; the lightheartedness of the past few minutes was gone. "You know very well that plenty of things aren't public."

Inga looked down, feeling thoughtless. "Well, I wish that the good things didn't have to be public, at least sometimes."

"I'm not asking you to make any announcements or ask official permission or anything like that. Not yet, unless you have plans I don't know about. But as your mother, I would like to know if you do."

"What?"

"If I'm misinterpreting what I saw last week between you and Prince Henry, tell me now."

"Um, yes, I mean, yes, you're right," Inga acknowledged, feeling surprisingly relieved, knowing exactly what her mother was hinting at. Her mother didn't need to know every detail, but Inga realized she didn't want complete secrecy. She wasn't about to run off and elope. "And, I guess, thanks? There's nothing you need to worry about, at least, no, there's nothing to worry about right now. I'll let you know if that changes."

"I'll trust you to tell me then," her mother smiled gently.

Inga found her mind racing ahead on the topic, and continued talking. "Frederick seems to have thought through all the political implications, though. For someone who's so clueless..."

Her mother chuckled a little and smiled. Inga went back to her stack of letters, and her mother pulled out the next item from her own pile.

"Oh!" her mother exclaimed, "I almost forgot, we need to plan the harvest festival. Would you like to help?'


End file.
